Zenobia's Story: Sequel to Kalasin's Guard
by TeresaDelay
Summary: Zenobia is back in Corus, and King Jonathan has a new job for her, one that reveals a past she never wanted to know.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Tortall belongs to Tamora Pierce

Here's a brief summary of Kalasin's Guard for those who need a refresher, also a teaser for this was published at the end of it--you don't need to read it, but I think it's kind of fun. Summary: Zenobia is a commoner who is friends with Kally and the two girls I created who were Kally's best friends and companions (Una, Raoul's much younger half-sister, and Cassie, Gary and Cythera's daughter). Zenobia saves Kally from a mage who wants to assassinate her and falls in love with and marries Evin Larse. Her best friend was a boy named Will who was kidnapped by slave traders and taken to Carthak. Zenobia figures this out while in Carthak and gets Kally to find Will and free him, as well as track down other Tortallan's illegally enslaved by Carthakis. Zenobia is a wizz with lots of weapons (and thus a Mary Sue, I know, I know but whatevs, plus there is a somewhat legitimate background to that which is revealed in this story), but prefers to use Sai. She is also a powerful mage, paticularly with weather, and is Sighted, which is connected to her weather magic. Also gorgeous (yes I know really a Mary Sue, but everyone needs a Mary Sue now and then, okay?). If you want to know more, read the story.

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"There's a new Rogue in town," George said.

Immediately, everyone at the table sat up and paid attention, everyone except Zenobia Larse. She simply looked at her fingers.

King Jonathan looked at the girl in amusement. "I take it you already knew, Zenobia."

Zenobia drummed her fingers on the table. "I didn't say that."

"You clearly have an opinion on the matter," he replied.

"About time. That's what I have to say about it. He was a bastard. He destroyed all the good Marek and Ge—others did. The pimps and the slave traders are as bad as they ever were, and he sold off all of the bright stars in the next generation to stop them from overturning his rule. He undermined Marek for the last ten years, killing off or selling to slave traders all his supporters, taking power slowly away and waiting for Marek to get old enough that he could kill him in a knife fight. And I think he had him poisoned first. Anyone who could challenge him disappeared in the night. He broke the Rogue's law over and over. Someone should have taken him out a long time ago."

"Well, this Rogue is certainly different from any we've had in the past." George paused for dramatic effect. "She's a woman."

"So, we have a new Queen of the Rogue?" Raoul said.

"Well, yes, but also a new King. A woman named Emma killed the Rogue and is now King. A woman she was with she has appointed to be Queen. The new Queen is named Klara. They were both slaves in Carthak until Kalasain started her campaign to find all Tortallan's sold into slavey," George replied.

"How old are they?" Jon asked.

"Nineteen, maybe twenty," George replied.

"Let me guess. They were street kids," Jonathan said.

"Yes. They both disappeared around the same time as Will, whose guarding Empress Kalasin these days."

"Zenobia?" Jon said.

"Yes, your majesty," Zenobia said evenly.

Her husband, Commander of the Riders Evin Larse, covered a smile with his hand.

"Do you know anything about these two women who are your age, street kids like you, and who were snatched by slave traders around when slave traders came after you?"

Zenobia looked away. "I have nothing to say on the matter."

"Girl," Lord Wyldon growled. "You are duty bound—"

Jon raised his hand. "It's fine, Wyldon. Zenobia, if you have any information that helps protect this country or its people…"

"I'll speak up," Zenobia said, giving the king a smile.

"What do you know?" Jon said, looking at George.

"Not much. They accused the former king of selling out their whole group to slave traders for being supporters of Marek, apparently he had hoped to win over the younger generation, and when Marek won them over instead, he got rid of them. They brought a lot of people with them. I'm fairly certain that Will was part of that group because a few kids who were street kids their age and then Carthaki slaves have shown up recently and are saying the Empress herself freed them. The closest advisors are all Tortallan, but Tortallans who haven't been around in awhile. This is a total changeover. A needed one too. Things have been bad for awhile down there."

Jon nodded. "Keep us updated. Let us know if we're going to have a problem. Alright that's enough for tonight. Zenobia, will you stay after for a moment?"

Zenobia stayed seated as everyone but Jon filed out.

"Try not to be so obvious when you're keeping things from us. It makes Lord Wyldon cranky," Jon said.

"Emma and Klara were my closest friends besides Will. We kept each other alive," Zenobia said softly. "The rest of the group ran with us. We were twelve when he decided we were a threat. We all supported Marek, and I talked to Emma recently. She'd figured out who he was, and he got rid of her before she could tell Marek, and got rid of the rest of us in case she'd confided in us. He figured out I didn't know when no one came after him when I escaped, so he left me alone. He took eleven of my closest friends away. Eleven. Kally is doing her best, but she still hasn't found them all. Emma will do a good job. Maybe the Lower City can get back on the path it was on before."

"I understand about friends, Z," Jon said. "I know you'll tell me if I need to know something. But we wanted to talk to you about what we'd like you to do now. I know you've only been back a few months and wanted some time with Evin, but an opportunity has presented itself now. I know you were interested in setting up orphanages, and we'd like you to do that, but there's something else that needs to happen, and Roald and I both think you should do it."

Zenobia raised an eyebrow.

"We want you to re-haul the Provost's Guards," Jon continued.

"What?" Zenobia exclaimed.

"You know more than anyone that abuses that the Lower City has suffered because the Guard has fallen apart since the Lord Provost before the one we have now was killed," Jon said gently.

Zenobia closed her eyes, in a flash she was nine and back on the streets, feeling the Guard's hands on her legs and his blood wash over her when she sank her knife into him. Jon put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The latest Lord Provost is finally stepping down. Appointing him was the worst decision I made in an attempt to make the conservatives happy, and I'm fixing that mistake now. I want to change the entire system, and I want to put you in charge of it. Make it a force that can actually help the Lower City," Jon said. "That doesn't mean you'd have to put your friends in jail. We both know a Rogue is necessary, and I want the force to be much more about protecting the Lower City then it has been."

"Can I think about it?" Zenobia said.

"Of course," Jon replied. "Come talk to me about it before you make a decision, but go home and think it over some first."

Zenobia nodded, slightly dazed and walked out of the room. She made her way quickly to the Rider's barracks and her husband's rooms. When she opened the door to Evin's study, she smiled.

"How is it that your stack of papers always seems to get bigger?" Zenobia said teasingly.

"Because I've been ignoring them to spend time with my lovely wife," Evin replied.

"Oh, this is my fault is it?" Zenobia asked.

"But of course."

"I'll have to make up for it," Zenobia said slyly, slipping her tunic over her head and throwing it with a flourish so it landed on Evin's head. Evin laughed and pulled it off, standing up and moving around the desk quickly. He caught her by the waist and pulled her to him. He kissed her, sliding one hand on her neck and holding her close with his other arm. Zenobia smiled against his lips.

"What did the king want?" Evin asked.

Zenobia sighed and leaned her forehead on Evin's chest. "The King wants me to take over the Provost's Guard."

Evin laughed. "Well, you know you've been bored. It'll be interesting. That's for sure."

"I haven't been bored," Zenobia protested, looking up at him.

Evin gave her an amused smile. "You've been bored since three days after we got married. You think I didn't know? I do appreciate you trying to pretend like I was enough to keep you interested."

"I'm fine when you're here, but when you have to work, I do get bored."

"And I'm going to be working more and more. I really have been slacking on the paperwork, but Buri as much as told me that was fine for awhile. I'm also going to start going out with the Riders again soon. You need something to keep you busy. This seems like a good option to me."

"Everyone hates the guard."

"So change that."

"You act like it's the easiest thing in the world."

"No, it will be hard. Very hard. But it will be good work. But it's up to you. If that's not what you want to do, don't do it. If it is, then do it."

Zenobia smiled and cocked her head. "Why do you always making things seem so simple?" she asked affectionately.

"Things are simple. People always complicate them for no reason."

Zenobia laughed softly. "Your ability to take a cockeyed world and turn it completely upside down is probably what I love most about you."

Evin's protest that he turned the world the correct way was interrupted by Zenobia putting her hand over his mouth and kissing his neck. "Hush you," she whispered. "Let's go let your paperwork pile up some more."

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Are you excited? I sure am.


	2. Chapter 2

Zenobia didn't sleep well that night, her dreams fraught with images of dragging her friends behind her in chain and memories of being nearly raped by a member of the Provost's Guard. She woke up well before dawn with a start, rolling onto her side and looking at her sleeping husband. He reached out and pulled her to him, knowing even in his sleep what she needed. She breathed in his scent, reassuring herself that she no longer lived on the streets of Corus, at the mercy of those stronger then she. After a few moments, sleep did not return, so she carefully extricated herself from Evin's hold and slipped on one of his shirts before padding into his study.

She curled up in his overlarge chair next to the window and stared outside without seeing, considering what the King had asked of her. Around dawn, Evin came in.

He leaned down and kissed her. "How long have you been out here?"

Zenobia shrugged. "A long while."

Evin squished into the chair next to her and pulled her into his lap. He stroked her hair softly. "Maybe you should go talk to your friends about this. Your thief friends I mean. See what they think."

"What if they hate me?" Zenobia said, her face buried in Evin's neck.

"No one could ever hate you, sweet. Besides, if you talk to them before you decide, they may take it better if you do decide to do this."

Zenobia sighed. "I hate it when you make sense."

Evin laughed. "Come on. Get dressed. You know you'll feel better if you get some weapons practice in."

"I don't deserve you," she replied, kissing him again.

"Of course you do. Now get up. I need to go roar at the recruits. Lazy bums aren't up and the sun is."

Zenobia groaned, but got up, walked into the bedroom and pulled on breeches, socks and a shirt. She had just grabbed her boots when a knock sounded on the door. Zenobia hurried to answer it, pulling open the door.

"George," she exclaimed. "Come in. What's going on?"

"I just wanted to give you these, actually," George said, walking through the door and handing her three books. They appeared old and well used, and there weren't titles on any of them.

"What's this?" Zenobia asked, opening up the first one to reveal a handwritten journal entry.

"Those are the diaries of an ancestor of mine named Beka Cooper. She was a member of the Provost's Guard a long time ago. My mother used to use her and all her descendents who became guardsmen to try and guilt me into stopping my thieving ways. What she didn't mention was that though Beka was heroic and as straight a guard as they come, some of her best friends were thieves, which explains why I found her diaries hidden in the floorboards of the Dancing Dove one rainy day when I was bored and had nothing better to do then find all the hidey-holes Rosto the Piper had put in when he built the place. I suppose I thought reading these might help you decide what to do. And if you decide you do want to, it might give you an idea of what the Provost's Guard used to be like, and should be like."

"Thank you," Zenobia said gratefully. "This means a lot."

"I had a friend who was a guard. We stayed close even when I became Rogue. The good one's are a lot alike on either side."

"Where is he now?"

"He quit a few months after our most recent Lord Provost took over, as did most of the good ones. You'll have your work cut out for you if you take this job, but it'll be worth it."

Zenobia nodded. George got up to leave, then paused. "This, Emma. She'll be a good Rogue?"

Zenobia smiled. "Yes. She's smart. Very smart. She was on her way out of the Lower City actually. She hung out with all of us, but she also continued to go to the King's schools long after the rest of us were too busy stealing to be bothered. She was going to the University. She's not Gifted or anything. She's just that smart. She's a natural at planning heists and such, but she's not a natural fighter. She worked long and hard when she was enslaved to be a good enough fighter to beat Hargen, but she'll be mostly manipulating everyone around her and making them enough money to keep them happy so she won't get challenged by someone stronger than her. At least I wouldn't have to worry about arresting her. There's no way I'd ever be able to get any proof on her for anything. Klara will be a good Queen, too. She'd just started working as a flower-seller when she was kidnapped, and she was good at it, let me tell you. She could pull the rich coves like you wouldn't believe. Plus, she claimed to be able to calculate within three breaths whether she'd make more money by stealing their jewels while they slept or encouraging them to return to her again."

George smiled. "Good. I never feel guilty for leaving the Rogue when there is a good one in place, but when there's a bad one the guilt eats away at me."

"Don't worry. If you were Rogue you'd be dead because Hargen would have poisoned you in order to steal your throne anyways, so you have nothing to feel guilty about."

George laughed. "Thank you, I suppose. Good luck with your decision."

As soon as he left, Zenobia sat back down in the chair and began reading. She was still reading when Evin came in at noon.

"Hello gorgeous. What are you reading?" he asked, leaning down to kiss her.

Zenobia kissed him back absently, then returned to the book. "Journals," she said without looking at him.

Evin looked down at her, then put his hand over the pages.

"Stop," Zenobia whined. "I'm at a good part. She thinks her lover might be a member of a counterfeiting gang. I hope he is. Then she can give him a nice rat tap and go back to the Rogue, who is obviously perfect for her."

"Alright, now you really have to explain. What is a rap tap. Who is this woman? What are these books?"

Zenobia sighed and put the book aside. "George gave them to me. He found them in the Dancing Dove. They're actually journals of one of his ancestors. She was a member of the Provost's Guard, and rat tap is what they used to refer to the move where a guard knocked a thief or what have you out with one swift blow from a baton."

"And this Guardswoman who is George's ancestor was in love with the Rogue?"

"Yes. At least, I think so. She's recently become distracted by a man who obviously is going to dump her skinny butt as soon as she goes back to Corus, but she doesn't have enough experience to recognize a Player when she's wooed by one."

"Can I remind you that you married a Player?"

"A reformed Player," Zenobia said

Evin grinned, crouching down to her level and taking her face in his hands, kissing her gently. "Have you learned anything useful?"

"Yes, actually. The Guards used to be trained for a lot longer for one thing, which is a good idea. They also used to have women, obviously. I could start up that again. They divided up the city a different way back then. I was thinking that I'd reform the current dividing lines. I never really thought they made sense, though the old one's are out of date. They used to have scent hounds also, and they used to be called Dogs. I want to bring that back. Beka also got me thinking about the fact that there needs to be better way to evaluate and fire bad Dogs. They didn't have a way too even back then, but I'll have to come up with something. There's a ton of things that could be done to make the Guard more effective," Zenobia said.

Evin smiled and leaned forward to kiss her again. "Shall I bring you some lunch so you can keep reading?"

Zenobia nodded eagerly, making Evin laugh. He stood, wincing slightly and shook out his legs. Before he left, Evin said, "You know, love, this is the first time since you got back that you haven't jumped on me at lunch and demanded some entertainment."

Zenobia wrinkled her nose. "Well, you're pretty sweaty today."

"I'm not any sweatier than I've been any other day," Evin retorted. "And that's never stopped you from demanding a bedding before. Admit it. You've needed a project, and this one might be just right for you."

Before she could reply, he sauntered out of the room. She scowled at the door, but couldn't help herself from reaching for the journal and continuing to read it. She ate the lunch Evin brought her without looking up from Beka's journal. She continued to read straight through the afternoon, and Evin teased her as he brought her dinner. She finished the third and last volume while Evin was with the recruits at their evening lesson. She glanced over the notes she'd taken while reading, considering what she could do and how she could implement the changes she had written down. She chewed on her lip for a minute then stood and pulled on her boots. She slid a few knives on, then headed out the door. She passed Evin on the way out. "I'll be back late," she said, pecking him on the cheek as she breezed past him.

"Where are you going?" Evin bellowed after her.

"To visit some old friends," she called over her shoulder. "Don't wait up."

She walked into the stables and saddled her stallion, Storm. "Hey boy," she whispered as she worked. "Sorry I ignored you all day. Here's a sugar cube to make up for it. Want to go for a ride in the city? You do don't you, boy?"

She mounted him easily and directed him through the castle gates and towards the Dancing Dove. She arrived there before long, tying Storm to a pole.

"I wouldn't leave a stallion that gorgeous tied up without any protection outside of that inn," someone called out to her.

"Believe me, he can take care of himself," she called back. "I hate to think about what would happen to anyone who tried to untie him."

She opened up the door to the inn, smiling at the true joy that seemed to emanate from the room. Klara was sitting in the lap of a wealthy looking young man, flirting egregiously as she sized up the worth of the rings on his fingers, and Emma sat slouched on the Rogue's throne, laughing as she talked to one of her lords. Zenobia made her way to Emma's throne, clasping hands with a various members of the court that she knew before she reached Emma.

Emma smiled at her. "Hello, Zenobia. Have a drink."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about some business. Are you free?"

Emma nodded and stood, motioning for Zenobia to follow her up to her room.

"What's going on, Coop," Emma asked once the door was closed, motioning to her to sit.

Zenobia sat in the offered chair, then looked at her hands. "The King has offered to give me control of the Provost's Guard. I'd be Lord Provost. Well, not Lord, but you get the idea. I wanted to talk to you about it before I decided."

Emma froze and looked at her. "You can't be serious. You're actually thinking about this?"

Zenobia grimaced. "Well, I thought I could do some good, and,"

Emma waved her off. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm saying obviously you should take this job. Why even consider saying no? Imagine what we could do here with me as Rogue and you in charge of the Guard."

"I couldn't be crooked," Zenobia warned her. "I owe the King too much to do that to him."

"No, I don't mean like that. I mean between the two of us we could fix the wrongs in this city. Your King seems to actually want to help people down here, but with a bad Rogue and a bad Lord's Provost, people have suffered more despite his efforts. We turn that around, and we could make a difference, Coop. A real one. If you focused your resources on keeping the commoners of Corus safe, and I stop my people from sucking them dry, so many more people would have a chance for a real life, a good life."

"And how are you going to keep your people from sucking them dry?"

"I can't tell you that, my Lady Provost, but hypothetically, perhaps one could redirect one's energy to those who could afford to lose some of what they had. It would take more skilled thieving of course, but a bright, young thing might be able to direct other's on the correct path."

Zenobia grinned. "Just make sure you're smart enough that I don't have to worry about catching you."

"So you'll do it."

Zenobia paused a moment and looked out the window. "I don't know. Maybe. I need to think on it a little more. It's a big job, and I'm not convinced I have the skill for it, and it's inevitable that someone I'm friends with, or maybe even someone I worked with back in my thieving days will end up dragged in by the Guard's. What then?"

"Take the job one day at a time, Coop. That's all you can do. Let me know what you decide, alright?"

Zenobia grinned. "Please, you'll know as soon as I tell King Jon. I know his manservant is in your pocket, or Klara's more precisely."

Emma grinned. "True enough, but I mean what I say. You'd do this city of ours a lot of good."

Zenobia nodded and got up. "I better get home. I'll talk to you soon."

Zenobia walked out of the inn, ignoring the demands that she join in on the drinking games. She mounted Storm and rode slowly through the streets of Corus, taking an indirect route back to the castle as she looked over her home of so many years. A Guard walked past her, whistling and swinging his baton ominously. Zenobia recognized the swagger on him. You learned as a street kid what guards were like by the way they walked, and this one had the look of the type that would cuff a street kid faster then he would speak to one. Most of the Guards were like that, and some of them were worse. Well, Zenobia decided at last, I guess I'll just have to change that.

The matter settled in her mind, she kicked Storm into a trot and moved quickly back to the castle, eager to begin her new work.

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Review!!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Zenobia woke up to kisses on her neck. She opened her eyes lazily, groggily wondering why she felt so uncomfortable.

"Good morning, sunshine," Evin whispered. "Want some breakfast?"

"What time is it?" Zenobia asked, sitting up from Evin's desk and looking blearily down at the pages of notes written in front of her.

"Well after dawn. You never came to bed last night," Evin said, stroking her hair. "I take it you've decided to become our next Lord Provost?"

Zenobia smiled grimly and nodded. "Emma actually wanted me to do it, and not because she thought I'd be crooked. She thinks we can clean up Corus together and fix a lot of the problems. I just hope I can live up to her and everyone else's expectations. I started working on some ideas, but I just don't even know where to start."

Evin smiled. "First of all, you don't have to do this on your own. The King is not going to leave you all by yourself here, and neither will George. Second, you don't have to do it all in a night. When did you go to sleep?"

"I remember seeing the first lights of dawn," Zenobia admitted.

"So, two or three bells time, perhaps? Come on love. Let's get you to sleep for a few hours at least."

"I need to meet with the King."

"And the meeting will be far more productive if you've slept some. I'll tell the King you want to meet with him this afternoon, and I'll come wake you up before then."

"No, Evin. I need to work on this," Zenobia replied, pushing her hair out of her face.

"No, you need to sleep," Evin replied, pulling her upright.

He slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her, still protesting, towards the door. He helped her into the bed and pulled the covers up over her before leaning over and kissing her on the forehead. "Sleep, sweet. I'll wake you up this afternoon before you meet with the King."

Zenobia murmured unintelligibly before sinking into the pillow and falling immediately asleep. She didn't stir until Evin kissed her awake in the early afternoon.

She opened her eyes slowly and smiled, pulling him down insistently into the bed with her. She curled into him, burying her face into his shirt.

"What's going on in there?" he asked, burying his fingers into her hair and gently massaging her scalp.

"Am I crazy to think that I can do this?" Zenobia asked, speaking into his chest.

"Of course not," Evin said. "You would be glorious at this. Remember when you were worried about being a guard for Kally? Turned out you were perfect for it. The King is good at what he does. He wouldn't ask you to do this if he didn't think you would be the best person for the job."

Zenobia smiled and slowly moved on top of Evin until she was looking directly down at him. "I love you," she said quietly. "So very much."

Evin reached his hand out to tease the nap of her neck. "I love you too, sweet," Evin replied, before pulling her to him and kissing her sweetly.

Zenobia deepened the kiss, reaching her hand down to tug Evin's shirt out of his breeches and slide her hand over his stomach and up his chest.

He caught her hand under his shirt. "You are meeting with the king in ten minutes," he said, making her groan.

"We are finishing this tonight," she said as she slipped out of bed.

Evin sat up and caught her by the waist, lifting up her shirt and kissing her on the stomach, biting down gently. "Yes, we are. You've been neglecting me."

"It's been a day and a half," Zenobia said, stroking the top of his head.

Evin looked up at her and cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, I suppose a whole day and a half is neglect for us, isn't it?" Zenobia said with a grin. She kissed him one last time and then pulled away and changed clothes quickly before heading to the King's study.

Zenobia knocked on the door, waiting for the King's reply before she walked in.

"Well?" the King asked, once she'd settled into place.

Zenobia nodded. "I'll do it."

Jon smiled. "Good. Do you have any ideas for things you want to do?"

Zenobia placed the notes she'd made on his desk, making him laughed out loud. "Well, this is certainly a start."

They worked through the notes well into the evening, and the King provided her with some of the ideas he and other members of his Council had come up with. They'd sketched out a basic outline of new training procedures, new punishments for corrupt or negligent Guards, new patrol routes and agreed that medical costs of guard's injured on duty would be paid by the crown, as well as continued pay during their recovery time. They also decided to let women back into the guard, and Zenobia grudgingly agreed to discuss the adding bloodhounds back into the guard with Lord Wyldon.

The midnight bell tolled, and Zenobia groaned. "There's still so much to decide."

Jon smiled at the girl. "We have a few days still. I plan to announce your take-over in a week, and we'll have all the Guards gather that day so I can introduce you and you can speak to them and outline the changes we are making. Go home, and sleep in. I have a meeting in the morning with some merchant's. We can meet after the midday meal."

Zenobia nodded, standing and stretching slowly, wincing as her back popped. "How do you do this all day every day?" she asked wearily.

"I don't. That's how," Jonathan replied wryly. "This is just the early stage. I promise you, you won't be at a desk all day."

Zenobia grimaced. "I'm going to hold you to that promise."

She walked out of the palace and down to the Riders, entering slowly, expecting Evin to be asleep. To her surprise, he was still awake, working through the stack of papers on his desk.

"What are you still doing awake?" Zenobia asked, pulling her boots off.

"I figured I might as well get some work done while I waited up for you," Evin said, scooting his chair back.

Zenobia smiled and walked over to sit in his lap, kissing his neck gently. "I do believe we were in the middle of something when I left this afternoon."

"Is that right?" Evin asked, running his hand up under her shirt. "I can't quite seem to remember what that was."

"Are you suggesting I remind you?" Zenobia asked, reaching up and touching his cheek affectionately. She kissed him on the mouth, scotching even closer to him.

Evin pulled away and grinned. "That's right. I remember now. How could I have forgotten?"

Zenobia laughed out loud at the exaggerated look of confusion on his face and kissed him again. He deepened the kiss, and she responded, eagerly letting the comfort and pleasure of his touch overtake her as he picked her up and made his way towards their bedroom.

---

On the other side of Corus, a petite young woman walked into the Jane Street Guard Station. A bloody slash marred her pretty face, running from her cheekbone to just touch the side of her mouth. "Can somebody help me?" she asked, looking wide-eyed around the bustling station before falling into a dead faint.

--

Short I know, but school is crazy busy at the moment. I promise slowly but surely all stories I have started will be finished (even Gillyflowers if any one reads that). I'm not the type to abandon my readers. It just may take some time.

Now Review and tell me to hurry up because chances are I'll listen!!!!

OH I ALMOST FORGOT. I need a little help. I chose the Shang Unicorn as Zenobia's teacher and was googling for her name and found out that TP wrote a short story about her. I have never read it. I'm planning to have her character show up, and I prefer to keep canon as much as possible. Anything I should know about her? I have what's on the TP wiki, but if anyone thinks there is anything that will be super useful for me to know, I'd appreciate if you'd put it in a review for me. Thanks!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Yet again, Zenobia found herself unable to sleep. Evin had done his best to wear her out the night before she was to be announced to the Guard as their new Provost, and she'd slept for a little awhile, but still she woke several hours before dawn. She'd _killed_ a guard. She'd run from them and taunted them and taken more then a blow or two at their hands, and returned them as well. Why would they every listen to her? She couldn't do this.

"Stop," Evin muttered, pulling her to him groggily.

Zenobia smiled. "Stop what."

"Worrying. You're worrying so loud so loud you woke me up."

"I didn't make a noise," she retorted.

"And yet here I am, awake."

Zenobia smiled. "I'm sorry."

"Turn over."

"What?"

"Just do it."

Zenobia complied, turning to lay on her other side. Evin spooned his body around her, slipping one arm under her neck and the other around to rest on her stomach. He stroked his thumb softly against her, and molded himself as close as possible to her.

"Just breath, sweet," Evin said quietly, kissing her neck. "Focus on your breathing, like meditation."

Zenobia breathed deeply, attempting to force all her tense thoughts out of her mind and let Evin's warmth sooth her. After a few moments that seemed to stretch into eternity, Zenobia let out a loud sigh, and pushed Evin's arm off of her. "I'm going to go for a ride."

Evin laughed. "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked.

Zenobia smiled, leaning down to kiss him softly. "Sleep commander. There's no reason both of us have to be cranky with our underlings tomorrow."

Zenobia dressed quickly and walked to the Riders' stables, pausing in the kitchen to grab two loaves of bread and a bag of apples. She found Storm sleeping among the much smaller ponies surrounding him, and reached out to wake him. Storm snorted at her, making Zenobia smile. "Too early for a ride?" she asked softly, holding a sugar cube flat in her palm. Storm sucked it up quickly, and then stood patiently while Zenobia saddled him.

She led Storm outside the gates, nodding to the guards as they opened it for her. It was still pitch dark, the moon high in the sky and the streets filled with fog. Storm's metal shoes clopped along the cobblestones of the wealthier parts of Corus, and then padded silently through the dirt roads of the poorer parts of town. She roamed most of the Cesspool, noting the small changes that had occurred since the days when she knew every loose board in ever fence and every series of boxes that she could leap up to arrive on the roof. At last she stopped in front of a large abandoned building. She tied Storm loosely to a low fence, then walked silently up to the building.

She skirted the boarded up front door, and walked around to the back. She slid the loose board aside and squeezed herself through the crack. A knife jabbed her in the throat, and she smiled. "It just me."

The pressure of the knife disappeared, replaced instantly by a pair of grubby arms wrapped tight around her.

"Ye've not been 'bout much."

Zenobia smiled and hugged the girl back. "I know. I'm sorry, Jewels. I'll be around a lot from now on."

The other children woke and rushed to greet Zenobia, who sat on the floor and let her mob them. She checked them all over for signs of injury or illness as she pulled her food out of a bag and divided it up among them. They devoured it happily.

"Why are ye 'ere so late?" Jewels asked, her mouth full of apple.

"I need to tell all of you something," she said, biting her lip and sending up a silent prayer to the Crooked God that they'd understand. "I'm being put in charge of the Provost's Guard. All of them will answer to me. I'm going to change things and make it so they help the people of the Cesspool rather than hurt them."

All of the children stared at her, until finally a pixie looking boy who went by Scamp asked, "Can ye do that?"

Zenobia smiled. "I can, but I need your help. I need to know when my guards do things they shouldn't. If they hurt you, or your friends, or take advantage of the folks down here, I need you to come tell me. I'll protect them from you, but I can't do this without you. You all see more and hear more than anyone else in this city. I want you to be my eyes and ears. Will you help me?"

The street kids looked at each other briefly, before Jewels grinned. "Course we will. Be nice to make trouble for some of 'em, and ye always done well by us."

Zenobia smiled and reached out to tug one of Jewels braids affectionately. "Come to me if you need anything," she added. "I have more money to help you out now. Now, back to sleep with all of you."

The kids snuggled into a pile, and Jewels pulled a ratty quilt over them. _Blankets,_ Zenobia noted to herself. _I should bring them blankets._

"Jewels says you sing." The youngest of the bunch piped up.

"That's right little one," Zenobia replied, stroking the girl's hair lightly. "What's your name?"

"Eliza," the girl replied quietly. "Mama used to sing too, 'afore she died."

Zenobia's heart squeezed at the girl's words. She couldn't be more than four; the same age Zenobia had left the orphanage and begun her life on the street. Zenobia sang a lullaby softly to the children until they'd all fallen asleep. She watched them sleep for a few moments, until Jewel's voice came out. "We're alright, Coop, and Eliza will be too. I'll watch out for her, show 'er the way of things."

Zenobia leaned down and kissed the girl on the forehead. "I know ye will, Jewels. I know."

When she left, the sun still hadn't begun to rise. She sighed and mounted Storm, trying to decide what to do with the remainder of the night. "You want to sleep don't you, Storm?" she said, leaning forward and stroking his mane. "Everyone wants to sleep but me."

She returned Storm to the stables, letting him lip her face before she left. She walked quickly across the palace grounds until she arrived at Balor's needle. She hurried up the stairs and walked out on the balcony. She slipped her feet out of her shoes and stockings and sat carefully on the wall of the balcony. She closed her eyes and silently greeted the soft breeze that was always up here no matter how calm a day it was. The breeze bumped against her, seemingly with no news for her, but as she searched out beyond the normal range of the breeze she felt something. Something she had never felt before, and whatever it was raised all of the hair on the back of her neck. She continued to probe despite her reactions to it, frowning as she tried to understand what the breeze was bringing to her.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Zenobia started, and she felt a steady hand on her arm. "Easy there. Sorry. I figured you knew I was there since you always do," Jon said.

"I was concentrating." Zenobia said, still staring into the night.

"Something on the wind?" Jon asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Zenobia nodded, frowning. "I couldn't figure out what it was. It was far away, and it didn't feel threatening. Sometimes I get sensations from the breeze that are far off when I really concentrate. It usually means whatever it is has little effect on me. Usually I brush it off, but this was so odd."

Zenobia trailed off, and Jon studied her face, worried by the fear he thought he saw. "Did you get anything?" he asked quietly. "What did it feel like? Just your guy instinct."

Zenobia searched her mind trying to find words for the blackness she'd felt. "Evil," she finally said. "It felt like evil."

-----

Here is an update at long last. I am sorry it took so long. School is taking up a lot of time, and I really just don't have time to write, even though I'm itching to write this story since I really like the plot I have in mind. I'm sorry to say that I probably won't be able to update until Xmas. I'm really sorry. I like updating quickly. I'm going to try and write a while bunch of it over break, so I can then post one chapter every week or so. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review!! I promise to do review responses starting with reviews for this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you ready?"

"No," Zenobia said, scowling at the King. "Why in the name of the Gods did I let you talk me into this?"

"Because you will excel here in a way no one else could. Because you are the best person to protect the people of the Lower City. And most importantly, because you were bored," Jon said, grinning at her teasingly. "Now, let's go introduce you to your new underlings."

Zenobia walked out into the main hall of the castle, where Jonathan had all of the Provost Guard's gather for her introduction. King Jonathan walked to the front of the room to stand on the raised platform in front of the men, and they all quieted instantly. Zenobia ran through the speech she carefully prepared after seeking, and disregarding, most people's advice. Evin's had been particularly unhelpful, since for his speech he'd simply told jokes and bought enough ale for a good party. Zenobia had finally listened to the advice of Keladry of Midelan, who told her to be honest and open, but as she looked at the sea of unfriendly faces, she wondered whether her choice was the right one.

"Welcome," the King said. "I'll keep this short. You have heard that the Lord Provost has stepped down. I and my advisors have thought long and hard about who should replace the Lord Provost, and have decided that it is time for a change. There will no longer be a Lord Provost, your next leader comes from commoner ranks, and is going to institute a series of changes aimed at making the Guards a more effective tool of the crown. Our goal is not only to increase the safety of the people of Corus, but also to increase the safety of our guards, who too often die needlessly in the field. With that, I am pleased to introduce your new Provost, Zenobia Larse."

Whispers went up as Zenobia mounted the stage, and took her place on the platform. When they didn't die down, Zenobia stated loudly and firmly, the way she'd heard Evin speak so many times: "Enough."

To her surprise, it worked and silence fell. "I'm sure some of you remember me. I certainly remember a few of the faces in this crowd. You all know that I did not always work for the crown and within the law, and I ran across some of your path along the way. But you also full well know that many of you do not follow the law of this realm, and what's more, you better know that I know. So, I will say this now, I have forgiven any past indiscretions that I have witnessed on your part. You all move forward from this date with a blank slate in terms of how I will treat you, even if you did slap me around when I was eight and had mouthed off a little too much, or I caught you with your hand in the temple's coffers. I will not retaliate. However, I have not forgotten. I know the reputation of each and every person in this room. I have talked to every source I have high and low, and I will continue to do so to ensure that I know who each of you are and how you behave as a guard. Those of you that need watching, I will watch, and trust me when I say you had better mend your ways. Guards that hit those that are helpless and do no wrong will not last long under me. Guards that take from those who cannot afford to give will be dismissed. Guards that are stupid, drunk and lazy will lose their rank. I don't care how long you've been here. I suggest you all consider your actions and reform your ways if necessary."

As she listed of the changes she and the King were making in the guards, she watched their faces. She'd memorized this part carefully, and now let the words spill out as she concentrated on using her Sight to let her know if she had allies and enemies in this room. Mostly, she felt wariness. She could deal with wariness, that was just a matter of proving she was fair. She felt deep anger radiating from one corner, and turned her eyes to the guard in the back as she discussed the new court being set-up that would evaluate complaints made against guardsmen. She studied his face and grimaced internally. Tasmere. He saw her watching him, and leaned forward and very deliberately spat on the ground. Zenobia held his gaze, forcing the former partner of the Guard she'd killed to look away first. He'd always suspected she was the one who had killed Grandon, but he'd never been able to prove it.

As she got into the details of the court, she got a wiff of hope, and looked down to see a guard she didn't know standing in front of her. He was tall and strong, and had tried to hide his boyish face behind a beard with only some success. He was listening to her intently, and she smiled internally. She had one ally in the room. She reached the end of her changes and paused, taking the moment to look around once more.

"The point of all this is to bring about the real change. The Guard used to be a fierce weapon that protected Tortallans. It has grown slack, lazy and corrupt. Many of you have forgotten who it is you are paid to protect. Still more of you have simply decided you don't care. The Guards are a joke among the city of Corus. Well, not anymore. My plan is to return to Guards to what they were before. I will make Dogs out of you once again. Dogs who hunt Rats to the ends of the realm if necessary. This is what I expect of all of you, and trust me when I say you don't want to cross me. I follow the King now, and his laws, but that hasn't changed me, nor has my husband's sunny nature rubbed off on me. You don't want to make me angry.

I am also always willing to listen to all of you. I am not nobility, and I expect deference only to my decisions and my position as your commander, not a deference based on different stations in life. I will be far more involved in the day-to-day process of the guard. Approach me if you have comments, suggestions or even complaints. We have a lot of work to do, but together, we can do it." Zenobia paused at the finish and smiled when her ally clapped, then bumped shoulders with the guard next to him who grinned and shook his head, but began to join in enthusiastically. Most of the other guards followed, and Zenobia noted which didn't as she sent a brief thanks up to the Trickster God. Her ally was well-liked, and she knew that would mean a lot.

Afterwards, she milled around with the guards, shaking hands and chatting. A few of the old timers who chased her when she was pick-pocketing street kid teased her about how high she was rising, but she sensed little malice in most of their words. She smiled when she found her self in front of the bearded boy.

"Guardsmen, what's your name?" she asked, reaching out to shake his hand.

He smiled at her and gave her a firm shake, but didn't test her strength. Kel had been right, the way a man shook your hand told you much about how they felt about women.

"Adsren Marensaw," he said.

"How long have you been with the Guard?"

"I've been out of my training stripes for about a year now."

Zenobia frowned. She'd pegged his age at early twenties, but most guards started in their mid-teens.

Correctly interpreting her look, he said, "I started late. I was a Rider for several years, but I wanted to marry my sweetheart, so I left."

Zenobia smiled. "How do you like this work?"

"I like it for the most parts. There's more," he hesitated, but Zenobia gestured for him to continue, and he said, "There's more politics it feels like. There were plenty of nobles who didn't like us much back in the Riders, but the Commander always could sweet talk his way out of any such stickness."

"You're not wrong about that," Zenobia said wryly.

"But we never had to deal with it. Here, there are a lot of different power sets one deals with. Our king, the Rogue king, the merchants, the nobles, the tradesmen, the mages." He shook his head. "I like things simple."

Zenobia smiled. "Me too. I'm hoping we can make it more simple. So, how's this sweetheart of yours."

"She's good. We're having our first babe soon."

"At last you tell her." A guard that had been standing close by turned and grinned. "Provost Cooper, do you know that's the longest he's gone without mentioning this babe since he found out six weeks ago?"

Zenobia grinned back at the man. "Well, he's got something to be proud of. What's your name."

"Guardsman Jecifer Brase, at your service. I'm this overgrown lad's partner."

Zenobia continued to chat with them all before pulling her sergeants in for a meeting to discuss the logistics of how they were going to implement the changes needed in the guard. Next she asked them to go over outstanding crimes they'd been working on.

"Is there anything else?" she asked

One of the sergeants who'd been quiet the whole night shifted slightly, and she honed in on him. "Sergant Draxen, what's on your mind?"

"It's probably nothing, Provost, but a woman came in the other day. She'd been raped and had a nasty slash on her cheek."

Zenobia nodded, puzzled. "This happens fair frequently, I assume."

"It does. It's just we had a rapist here long ago. He used to mark his victims with a slash just like the one she's wearing. Raped thirty odd women that came forward. Who knows how many stayed quiet."

Zenobia frowned. "I don't remember this."

He grinned. "I'm older than I look. This would have been before you were even running around making Malvin's life hell."

Zenobia grinned, suddenly recognizing him as one of the guard's from her youth. "Was he ever caught?"

He shook his head. "He raped women for about a year. Terrorized Corus. We never got so much as a lead. Then it just, stopped. We assumed one of the women had killed him and stayed quiet or mayhap her family had."

Zenobia nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I'll let all the stations know to keep an eye out for similar deeds. Let me know if it looks like he's back. It could be someone wishing to copy his work."

"Aye, Provost."

Zenobia spent the rest of the day walking with various guard's pairs as they went about their patrols. She did the same for most of the evening shift before saddling up Storm and riding back to the castle.

* * *

At last, I have time to update again. Sorry it took so long. I generally write stories linearly, but this one I ended up jumping around more as I tried to work out the plot. I have written quite a bit of the middle of this story, but still need to keep working on getting there. I'm hoping to update more regularly, but like I said school has been crazy. My goal is going to put one up every Monday (or Sunday night). Hopefully, I can do this. No matter what, I will finish this story. I promise.

Also, thanks to everyone who gave me info on the Shang Unicorn. Super helpful. She will show up here eventually.

* * *

Elskestar: On your phone! I'm honored. Don't worry, Z is one of my favorite characters too, and I will finish this story for her. She's got quite the back story and deserves to have it told.

Dom-Loves-Kel: Z's family background is told in this story, and I don't want to give any away now, but I promise all will be revealed.

.A.F.: Thanks for the encouragement and being understanding of the slowness.

La Petite Squelette: Please don't throw away an entire apple pie. That's just criminal, and Z definitely wouldn't approve.

Wynn Hygeorht: Good luck getting your story up!

DCI Keller: Glad you liked the cliffhanger. I'm overly fond of them and use them excessively. It used to not matter since I updated so frequently, but these days I guess I leave you guys on edge for a lot longer.

studentofwords: It's a deal. I promise to write more. Now that I'm starting a new semester, hopefully it'll be faster and the writing I've already done will help.


	6. Chapter 6

Rather than smile and flip over when Zenobia was forced into wakefulness by Evin's kisses on her back, Zenobia groaned and covered her head with a pillow.

Evin chuckled and ran a finger down her back. "You can keep sleeping, sweet. You came in late enough."

Zenobia sighed and rolled over, snuggling into the warmth of Evin's chest. "No, I want to walk with some of the day shift people before I go into meetings and recruiting things. I should get up now."

Evin kissed the top of her head. "Well, I'll go get you breakfast, so you can sleep for a few more minutes."

"Thank you," she said. "You are the best husband ever."

Evin slipped out of bed and leaned over to kiss her. "You did the same for me three weeks ago when I got back late from that spidren raid. Now doze away. I'll be back in a moment."

Instead of dozing, Zenobia fell straight back to sleep. Evin shook her roughly awake, and she groaned again. "I said doze, not fall into the sleep of the dead. It took me forever to wake you up. Have some toast and juice."

Zenobia snuggled up against him and munched on the food he'd brought her. "Do you know Adsren Marensaw?"

"Of course. One of the best riders I ever commanded. I was sorry to see him go. Not that I blamed him. I'm not sure I would have been able to withstand Eva for as long as he did."

"Is that his wife? He's one of my guardsman."

"Really? I could see that he'd be good at that. He got along with everyone, and he loved dogs. He'd be a good candidate for your bloodhound training. And yes, Eva is his wife. She's a fireball. Smart as a whip too. She was happy enough to let him go off and be a Rider for awhile, but she put her foot down eventually."

"Lower city girl with some kick then. I like it."

Evin laughed. "They're as rich as the King, sweet. Maybe richer once he gets his full inheritance. He's the heir of the Miscka merchant clan. His mother is the old man's daughter, and he has no other children. His father was head of the carpenter guild for a time. And Eva owns and runs the Demander enterprises."

Zenobia swore loudly. "Demander has taken over several of the smaller merchant companies. It came out of nowhere. Everyone says it's on its way to overtaking the old clans."

"That's Eva for you. She went to the university while he was in the Riders. Her parents were wealthy, but her idiot older brother squandered most of it away. Luckily, her dowry had been tucked aside. Once they were married, Adsren just gave her dowry back to her. She made some smart investments, and Demander was born. The old man loaned her some more money to see what she could do, and was so impressed that he has made her his right hand person for all the Miska business. Adsren hated business, so it's a good thing he fell for a woman who thrives on it."

"Is it love or business?"

"It's love. They've been sweethearts since they were little 'uns. He took an arrow in the chest, and she rode all the way to Legann in one go. Didn't leave his side until he was up and going again."

"Is that when she put her foot down?"

Evin smiled and stroked her cheek. "Nope. He continued to ride for two more years, and she smiled and waved good-bye every time he left. She put her foot down because she couldn't stand living in her parents' house another day watching her brother gamble away the family money. In truth, I think he was ready to go. He missed her something awful when we were out on missions, and he always wanted babes. He'll do good work for you. He's fair, smart and everyone likes him."

Zenobia sighed. "I suppose. I hate it when rich folks surprise me though. She's pregnant."

Evin kissed Zenobia's cheek. "He must be ecstatic."

Zenobia smiled and cocked her head. "He is. The men were teasing him about all his bragging."

She looked at him for a long moment. "Do you want children any time soon?"

Evin shrugged. "I want children whenever you want children."

Zenobia laughed. "You really haven't thought about it have you?"

Evin shook his head. "Not really. I knew you wanted them. I knew I wanted them. You're young though. I figured you'd let me know when you wanted them."

"I've plenty of friends my age in the Lower City and younger with babes."

"I think you have enough on your plate at the moment."

Zenobia sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. "I suppose you are right. It would be so fun though. We'll have a cute little mass of little 'uns."

"Mass?" Evin asked, sounding a little alarmed. "How many little 'uns are in a mass?"

Zenobia shrugged. "I need to get to work. We'll duke out how many kids we're going to have later, but I want a nice sizable family. How many did you want?"

"I'd like two well-behaved little girls," Evin said primly.

Zenobia laughed. "If we have fifteen, you might get two well-behaved ones. Maybe. But really, I have to get to work. And you do too. I'll be late. Don't wait up."

Zenobia dragged herself out of bed and put clothes on, smiling when she walked out and saw Storm saddled and waiting for her. She rode quickly through the city streets, stopping at the Jane Street station. She met with the the sergeants on duty to get their ideas for training, then joined the roving pairs on the streets. She chatted with each of them, getting to know them and using the tricks she'd watched Kally employ when she was trying to win over the Carthaki court. She catalogued the emotions she felt coming off of them and made it clear to those she was watching that she was watching. She went back to the station as the day shift went in and smiled as the evening guard came in. Ardsen walked in holding hands with a laughing young woman. The swell of her stomach was clear even from far away, as was both of their happiness.

Zenobia walked over to the two of them and smiled. "You must be the famous Eva. Congratulations on your baby."

Eva smacked Ardsen. "What have I told you about the bragging?"

He hung his head. "Sorry."

"In fairness, he only told me about the babe. Evin filled me in on you."

"How is the commander?" Eva asked with a smile. "I'll admit I near fell out of my chair when I heard he was marrying. I didn't really think he'd ever get up the single life."

"I never thought I'd give up the single life either," Zenobia said wryly.

"Are you walking with us today?" Ardsen asked.

Zenobia shook her head. "I have to clean up that hellhole that is supposed to be my office, and set up the training schedule. We start interviewing recruits tomorrow."

"Ardsen says women are going to be allowed in now. I have a cousin who is interested, but I think she's nervous about being in the first year of women," Eva said, leaning her head against Ardsen's arm.

Zenobia smiled. "Have her come talk to me. Maybe I can reassure her a little bit."

"Alright it is time for me to go," Ardsen said. He leaned down and kissed Eva.

"Don't do anything stupid, please," Eva said.

"Don't wait up for me."

"I'll wait up for you if I want to."

"You've been exhausted all day."

Zenobia left them nattering at each other and walked up to the second story of the Jane Street station. She'd decided to create an office space in the station, hoping the move to the Cesspool would signal the changing priorities and allow her to keep her a better eye on what was going on. Unfortunately, no one had used that room for eons besides rats and roaches. But when she opened the room, she smiled. It had been cleaned and decorated. A large oak desk sat in the center of the room, and a large map of Corus adorned the walls. She walked over the desk and picked up the note sitting in the middle.

_Z_

_Do well, Provost._

_JC_

Zenobia smiled and tucked the note into the top drawer of her desk. She pulled out several rolls of parchment and swiftly began writing out training exercises. She met with the evening sergeants to discuss training with them, then continued working until the training schedules were done. She quickly picked up dinner, then returned to work on questions to ask future recruits. Finally, the bell tolled signaled evening watch was over and night watch had began. She kept her final meeting with the evening sergeants short before cleaning up her office and moving downstairs.

She had been saying good-bye to the guards, when Ardsen came in, guiding a cloaked woman gently. He murmured to her comfortingly, but Zenobia could feel the fear radiating off her. Sighing internally, she motioned for him to take the girl up to her office. Ardsen helped her sit in the chair, and then moved near Zenobia and said quietly, "I found her hiding under the docks. Took me a bell's time to coax her out of there. She won't say what happened, but she's got a long slash on her face. Sergeant Draxen told us all to look out for that wound."

"Do you know her name?"

Ardsen shook her head. He hesitated, then said, "She flinched when I touched her. I ended up telling her about Eva and the babe. I know it sounds dumb, but it seemed to help."

Zenobia smiled. "It gave her a reason to trust you. Go on home. I'll take care of this."

"I should stay."

"Go. No reason both of us should leave our spouses cold for the night, and I seem to remember Eva stubbornly insisting she'd wait up for you. Besides, she may talk freer in front of a woman."

Ardsen nodded, stopping to murmur something to the woman before making his way out.

Zenobia frowned, unsure of how to proceed. Finally, she crouched in front of the woman, trying to seem less frightening. "My name's Zenobia Larse. Mayhep you know me? I was called Coop before when I lived in the Lower City. I'm a healer. I'd like to look at the cut on your face."

The woman didn't do anything, but Zenobia waited her out, ignoring the increasing tightness in her shoulders that reminded her of how long she'd sat at her desk that day. Finally, the woman pulled back her cloak, to reveal a pleasant face, though her cheek was marred by a long bloody gash. Zenobia walked to one cabinet and pulled out a paste.

"I've got some herbs that'll help that wound heal and take the pain off. It'll make the scar small enough that a little well-applied make up will hide it once the redness fades over the next few months." Zenobia continued to chatter pleasantly as she gently smoothed the paste onto the girl. She bundled up a small amount and gave it to her.

"Want to tell me your name?"

The girl's lip trembled, but she finally said, "Marlie."

"Hello Marlie. It's nice to meet you. Want to tell me what happened?"

A tear rolled down the girl's face, but she began talking. "I was walking long the beach, looking for anything that mighta washed up that we could use. Da got hurt, and money's been low. He nabbed me. I never saw his face. He had a knife, told me he'd kill me if I made a peep. Then he," she paused, and Zenobia reached out and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "He had his way with me," she whispered. "Then he said, I needed something to remember him by, and he, he slashed me. Then, he ran off. I was so dazed. I don't even know. The guard found me."

Zenobia squeezed her hand again. "Thank you. Do you remember anything about him?"

When the girl didn't respond, she coaxed. "How he smelled? How he sounded?"

The girl shook her head. "He sounded like he was from around these parts I suppose. From Corus I mean."

"Was he educated?"

"He sounded a lot like you. Sorta commoner, but sorta not." She paused. "That's all I can remember. I'm sorry."

"That's great, Marlie. That's a big help. Do ye need anymore healing? I can give you a potion to make sure you don't get with babe."

Mylie shook her head tears rolling fast now. "I want to go home. I want my Ma."

Zenobia nodded. "Alright now. We'll get you home."

Zenobia helped the girl up, pausing to pick up the paste and pocket a small bottle of potion. She walked with the girl through the streets, murmuring softly reassurances when she flinched at every noise. The door was wrenched open before she even knocked, and the girl was swept into the embrace of large man leaning heavily on a crutch. "Marlie, what happened?"

A woman came running in to embrace her, and exclaimed loudly over the cut. Marlie began to cry in her mother's embrace, and Zenobia nearly panicked, unsure of what to do. She had hoped to talk to the girl's mother, but the father was looking at her suspiciously. "Who are you? What did you do to are daughter?" he demanded.

"I am Zenobia Larse. Provost of the Guard," she said firmly. "Your daughter was…attacked."

The man breathed in sharply, looking at her. "Was she? Is she?" he finally said, not wanting to finish the thought that every father in the Lower City feared.

"I'm sorry. We will do everything we can to find him." She handed him the potion and paste, briefly stating what the potion was for and seeing the pain on his face.

"Sure, you'll do everything you can. The guard always does," he said bitterly.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Daniel, Daniel Harven."

"Master Harven, I run the guard now, and I am from here. I know what the guard use to do, and I know how many women ended up like your daughter with no one paying for it. I promise you, I will find him."

He looked at her for a long moment before reaching a hand out to her. She clasped his forearm, then made her way out the door. She walked back to the station, mounted Storm, and rode home as the sun's rays began to rise from the horizon.

* * *

I know, I know. I'm terrible. I made promises and then failed....miserably. I also just don't have time to run through reviews if I want to get this up tonight. I think I'm going to start review replying individually instead, then I can do it as I get them, since it's taking me so long. But i do really, really appreciate reviews, and I hope you'll review soon!!


	7. Chapter 7

Zenobia sighed when she felt Evin's featherlike kiss on the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry, sweet. You are due to interview your first recruit in a bell's time. I couldn't let you sleep in anymore."

Zenobia nodded. "I know."

She swung her legs out of bed with effort, and Evin handed her a pastry. He looked down at her with concern. "Promise me you'll come home early tonight. No matter what comes up. You didn't sleep well for a week before this started, and you've hardly gotten any sleep the last two days."

Zenobia smiled. "Nag, nag. Worse than the flowersellers."

Evin crouched down and cupped her cheek. "Promise me."

"Are you sure its not just that you miss certain activities?"

"No, its not. Besides, since you didn't even manage a flirtatious tone of voice for that statement, I doubt you'll have the energy for it even if you do get home at a reasonable time. Now promise me."

Zenobia leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "I'm not even sure how I'm going to manage to get dressed," she said, looking around a little lost.

Evin laughed and went to the drawers, pulling out her clothes. He lifted her hips gently as he guided on her loincloth, and then her breeches. He wrapped her breastband around her slowly, smiling as she gasped slightly in pleasure as his hands gently brushed against her. He slid her shirt and tunic over her head and secured her belt around her waist. He ran a brush through her hair, then kissed her gently on the neck. "Come home early, sleep long and hard, and then I'll wake you up your favorite way, and do all the work and give you all the pleasure," he whispered huskily. "Now promise."

Zenobia turned her head and smiled at him. "I promise."

He held out his hands, and she grasped them, letting her haul him up. "Good. Now come along my lovely Provost. There's work to be done."

Zenobia braided her hair quickly, then walked out of their home and mounted Storm, who stood waiting patiently outside for her. She paused and inspected her bulging saddlebags. Opening one, she found it full of blankets and smiled. She couldn't even remember telling Evin she wanted to bring blankets to the street kid, but he had remembered, as he always did. She rode down to the village, waving at the people she knew until she arrived at Jane Street.

She walked up the stairs to find two of her sergeants already waiting for her, along with a line of recruits. "Good morning, ready to start this bucket of joy?" she asked when she walked inside.

Draxen grinned at her. "Always ready to meet the next set of fresh meat."

"Let's go," Mason mumbled. "The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."

Zenobia sat imperiously behind her desk, picked up her quill, and shouted, "First recruit come on in."

Draxen laughed. "Ah, yes. You're a natural, Provost."

Zenobia smiled at him, pleased to have him already so firmly on her side. Mason was going to be a tougher sell, but she thought she had a chance, and both men were well-respected. A scrawny looking blond, who reminded her faintly of Evin, sauntered in and sat in front of her. Zenobia motioned to the sergeants to begin questioning him. She sat back with her arms crossed over her chest and her legs stretched out and front of her and studied him with her magic. After a few moments, she cut Mason off. "You're in, puppy. Report back here in three days. Pick up your gear on your way out."

"That was quick," Mason said dryly, and Zenobia sensed he was a little perturbed by her actions.

She considered her options before deciding trust begot trust. "I'm Sighted. While you two question, I'll examine. I'm looking for signs of excessive greed, malice, love of power. With some, like that open-natured boy, I'll be able to tell within minutes. With others, it may take longer."

"Aren't you worried they won't be tough enough?" Draxen said.

Zenobia grinned. "That's what trainings are for. We'll wash out the lazy ones. Don't you worry none."

Mason pursued his lips and nodded. "Well, it's an efficient method. I'll give you that."

"Next!"

They moved through the recruits quickly. Zenobia found sixteen she approved of by lunch, and weeded out six that she sensed would be bad. She was a little leery on a few of them still, but decided she could keep an eye on them during training. She left the station to get lunch, pausing to pick up the blankets before heading over to one of her favorite food stands.

"Hello there little scamp," Mistress Frazeir said with a grin. "Want your usual?"

"Yes, please," Zenobia said with a smile, breathing in the sent of sausage gleefully.

"So yer our new Provost. Always knew that king of ours was a nutter."

Zenobia grinned. "Hush now. Want yer tongue cut out?"

"Hmpf. Who'd harm an old woman like me? Not that softie for certain. And now that yer Provost and that scamp Georgie does most of his other work 'ere 'bouts, I have nothin' to fear. You ain't the only one who has a weak spot for my sausage pastries. Johnny and the Rogue both loved 'em too. As did that red-headed squire. Come too think of it, those two over-grown friends of his loved 'em too. And that good for nothin' husband a yours. I got the whole of the King's Counsel in my pocket, I do."

Zenobia laughed. "Well, those sausage pastries are the best food in all of Corus."

"Yes they are. And I'll toss in a doughnut for you free of charge. I know you like that sugar, and you been working hard."

"I swear Mistress, you want me fat."

"As does that man of yours. He never did like skin and bones. Now eat up."

"Mistress, will you do me a favor?"

The old woman looked her over. "What do ye want?" she said suspiciously.

"I'm wondering if ye remember a rapist from back when. Apparently from afore I was runnin' 'round these parts makin' trouble. He used to cut his victims across the cheek."

"Course I do. 'e made life a livin' hell, 'e did. We was all terrified. Why you askin'? Don't tell me the rumors are true. Don't tell me 'e's back."

"I've got two girls that 'ave come in with a gash. It's probably someone different. It's been too long to be 'im, but I figure they're girls that didn't come in. Put the word out to be careful and that if anyone has any information they can come talk to me, and they can come to the Rider's barracks if they ain't comfortable coming to the station. And if it happens to anyone else."

"I'll send 'em yer way. Great Goddess I 'ope it t'aint him. 'e…" she trailed of and shuddered, and Zenobia felt her fear.

Zenobia reached over and squeezed her hand. "Whether it's him or someone else, I'll get him."

She smiled up at her. "I know ye will. I know ye will. Which is why every one of us that knows ye is glad that Johnny was smart enough to see in ye what we all always saw. That Johnny always was a smart boy. I was glad to learn 'e was our king. Surprised. But glad. And I'm even gladder to 'ear yer our Provost." She chuckled a little. "And even more surprised."

"I was surprised too, Mistress."

"Get on with ye. Ye got work to do."

"Can I have two dozen doughnuts for the kids please?" Zenobia asked, handing the coins over.

"A softie ye are too. Such a softie." She handed her a basket filled with the doughnuts, and Zenobia smiled as she saw her toss in a couple of her sausage pastries as well. Seeing her look, the woman said, "They need protein, those scrawny little 'uns."

"Yes, they do." Zenobia wandered down the street idly, smiling as she sensed the kids starting to gather sneakily behind her. She cut down a back ally, and eleven of them swarmed her.

"Doughnuts," Jewel screeched, launching herself at Zenobia.

"Hello my muddy scamps. Have doughnuts and pastries. Share, share." Zenobia said, watching them with a smile. Jewel took over imperiously when things began getting out of hand, dividing the food up fairly and storing a few for few others not there.

"Do ye have any news for me?" Zenobia asked, once they all had food in their hands.

"Not much. Everyone is talking about ye. Most think ye'll do good, though the shopkeepers think ye'll let us steal all we want," Jewel said, crumbs tumbling from her mouth.

"I need to talk to ye about that. I can't stop the usual in the streets punishment. Ye might get a broken finger here or there, but I'll keep 'em from burning the mark on ye back at the station. They ain't supposed to be doin' that anyways. King outlawed it a few years back."

"We know, Coop. 'Sides, we get a broken finger we t'aint doin' our work right, and we just come to ye and ye'll fix us right up."

They chattered about what they heard people saying, which Zenobia took note of, particularly when guards' names came up. They were insistent that most of the guards were being better behaved, though a small boy named Dart said he heard two guards saying they just had to keep a low profile before she got bored and moved on.

"Alright off with ye, and take these blankets with ye," she said with a smile.

Jewel stayed behind, holding on to Eliza. "Coop, Eliza's been coughin' at night. Will ye look at her?"

"Of course, come here, Eliza." Dutifully, Eliza climbed into Zenobia's lap, and as Zenobia healed her, she sensed that sadness coming off the girl. It was always harder for the kids that had actually had a good home. She was skin and bones though. She'd been starving for a long time before she left, which would make it hard to keep the cold off her. She'd fallen asleep on Zenobia during the short healing, and Zenobia frowned.

"Has she been sleeping, Jewel?" Zenobia asked.

Jewel shook her head. "She cries a lot and screeches for her momma even when she does sleep. She don't eat her share either, less I force her."

"Do ye know what happened?"

"All I know is that 'er momma died, and she was a nice doxie. She used to give us leftover food now and then, and she never screeched when Eliza played with us as long as we stayed near the house."

"No father?"

"He still lives there, but he don acknowledge Eliza. He liked the drink always."

"How'd she die?"

Jewel shrugged. "I don know."

"Alright. I'm going to take her to sleep in my office, and then I'll drop her off on my way home. Bring her to me if she starts coughing again."

Zenobia settled Eliza on her hip and carried her back to her office. She climbed up to her office to find an even longer line of recruits and her sergeants ready for her. She closed the door and settled Eliza on the cushioned window seat, covering her with blankets and closing the curtains.

"That's the Loniar girl, isn't it?" Mason said, showing interest for the first time since this morning in his surroundings.

"I just know her as Eliza."

"Yep that's her. Sad case that is."

"What do you know?"

Mason shrugged. "Her father probably killed her Ma in one of his drunkin' rages, but we couldn't prove it."

"What do ye mean ye couldn't prove it?" Zenobia said, rage building slowly and her accent slipping again. "'ow could ye not prove somethin' like that. If a man 'as rages and 'is wife's body shows up, tain't that enough?"

"Body never showed up. He says she ran off. Believe me, Provost, we looked. We knew she'd never leave Eliza alone. And Ardsen knocked on every door on the street asking neighbors if they saw anything. But you know the Cesspool, no has said a peep." Mason said, and Zenobia sensed that he was angered at her questioning of him, though his tone was even.

Zenobia breathed out. "I'm sorry. I should have found out what happened first. It's just Eliza says she died, so I assumed that a body had shown up."

"She said that," Mason demanded, an eager gleam in his eye. "We couldn't get a peep outta her. If she saw it and she'll talk, then well, the hangman's noose for that bastard."

"Hush, you'll wake her. I'll take her home with me tonight, try and get the story out of her," Zenobia said firmly, internally pleased that the man cared about his job.

"He's already gotten himself a new wife, and ten to one he's beatin' her already," Mason warned.

Zenobia nodded. "I know. I know how those men work."

"I tried to get Ritza outta there for months, but she always insisted that he never hurt her. She fell down, she'd say. Aye, and the floor reached up and punched her and left twisting bruises on her wrists."

"Ritza, was she Ritza Sareka before she was married?"

Mason nodded.

Zenobia sighed. "I knew her, or I knew her younger sister. I'm sure Lorena would take Eliza in."

"She left with a traveling Player group months back. We don't know where she headed off to," Mason replied.

"I'm sure Evin or Gena can find her. I'll see about tracking her down."

"In the meantime, perhaps we should continue with the recruits." Draxen said dryly.

Zenobia sighed and settle behind the desk, before shouting, "Next!"

It was dinner by the time they had gotten through the recruits. Zenobia gathered the still-sleeping Eliza in her arms and said good night to the sergeants before leaving the station. She mounted Storm, taking care that her cloak covered her face, and rode towards the Dancing Dove.

She walked in, and the room quieted. Everyone could guess who was under the cloak, but the faked secrecy allowed her former friends not to confront her over her new role. Emma beckoned her up the stairs, and Zenobia followed her, hushing Eliza when she stirred.

Once they got to Emma's room, Zenobia flopped into one of her large comfy chairs in front of the chair, letting the cloak fall back.

"You look exhausted," Emma said, pouring her a glass of scotch.

"I feel exhausted," Zenobia said. "I'm not sure I realized what I was signing up for."

"That's because there hasn't been a provost willing to walk a rape victim home, well, ever."

"So you've heard."

Emma nodded. "Some of the older folks have been talking about the slasher. Seems he was a nasty sort. Do you think it is the same guy?"

Zenobia shrugged. "It's impossible to know at this point. Seems unlikely, but its possible. Have you heard anything? Any cases that people haven't come forward about?"

Emma nodded. "There's at least one other, and maybe two. They both went to the temple though, not to me. People are always hesitant during a transitional phase. I'm hoping they'll come to me in the future, or to you."

"I'm going to go talk to the priestesses and ask them to encourage future women to come to me. Will you put the word out to be careful? That type often finds flowersellers easy. I doubt he'll stop anytime soon, whoever he is. How's your work going?"

Emma sighed. "I'm getting challenged pretty constantly, and we both know that I'm not the best fighter around. Some of the men are grumbling about a female ruler, but I'm starting to win them over. Slowly but surely. Speaking of which, watch your back around Tasmere. He got loose lipped about what a slut you were when he had a couple drinks in him. Does he know you killed that worthless piece of crap?"

"I don't think he _knows_, but he certainly suspects." Zenobia replied, pushing a stray curl out of her face. "I should get to the Temple so I can get home. I need to feed this one, and sleeping would be a nice change."

"And some time with that husband of yours, no doubt," Emma said slyly. "Just go home, Coop. No one at the temple will do anything tonight, and you look like the Graveyard Hag chewed you up and spat you."

Zenobia laughed, draining the glass of scotch and standing. "You might be right. Good night, Em."

Zenobia put her hood back up and walked swiftly out of the Dove, her heart squeezing a little at the thought that she might no longer be welcome in the place that had once been home. _You weren't welcome there since Marek was killed_, she told herself sternly. _No reason to get sentimental now._

Despite Emma's advice, and Evin's nagging tone in her head, she stopped at the Temple of the Goddess, reasoning that it was on the way, and was one less thing to fit in tomorrow before more interviewing with the recruits. She made her way inside and asked to be taken to the head priestess. She'd never met Maomi, but she'd heard she was tough. Unlike that weak-willed, noble-loving one that had come before her.

"So, this is the infamous Zenobia. I've heard much about you."

Zenobia smiled at the booming voice, liking that tall, imposing woman immensely. She was sturdy looking, with overly large features that would have looked ugly on most other women, but suited her well. "Aye, I'm Zenobia. I'm here about some rapes that have been occurring. Man has been nabbing girls, having his way and giving them a nasty slash on the face. Two have come in to the Guards of the past week or two. I'm wondering if there are any you know of who haven't reported. I'm also hoping you'll put the word out any way you can."

Maomi glanced at Eliza with curiosity, but simply said, "We'll put the word out, but we can't disclose information about the woman who come to us for help."

"Look, priestess. I don't need names, though I'd appreciate it if you let them know I'd like to talk to them. They can come to my home in the Riders barracks, or I'll meet them here if they aren't comfortable at the station. But if you can tell me when this started, and how many, I'd appreciate it. It may help us catch him."

The priestess sighed, shifting her weight and looking thoughtful. Finally she said, "We've had three women come in, marked as you say. The first about four weeks ago. I'll think about talking to them. I'm hesitant to address the attack, particularly with one. For some, its better to forget."

"It's better to have justice, and to know your safe from him coming back," Zenobia said.

"It's your job to keep people safe from future acts. It's my job to pick up the pieces after. I'll think on it. I promise no more.."

Zenobia could tell any more pushing would cause the woman to shut down entirely. "Mayhap you're right, but I would say I think they have the right to choose. And I'm not like all the Provost's before me. I know what it is to feel powerless. And if any future women come forward, I'd appreciate it if you jut let them know I'd be willing to talk to them any way they feel comfortable."

Maomi nodded. "I want him gone too, and I'll do what I can to help you, but my first duty is to those that come seeking the help of the Goddess."

Zenobia bowed briefly before leaving the temple quickly. She mounted Storm once again, and sighed when she saw the sun was gone. Evin would not be pleased no doubt. She just hoped he'd kept her supper warm.

"I'm hungry," Eliza suddenly stated loudly, sitting up and looking around dazedly.

"I bet you are little one. I'm taking you to sleep at my house tonight, just to make sure we got that cold good and cleared. We'll get you something warm in your belly."

When she was almost to the barracks, Evin's voice rang out from the darkness, "This does not count as early."

"It's earlier," Zenobia wheedled. "Can you get me and Eliza here some food before you grouch at me?"

Evin laughed and helped her down, shouting at one of his trainee's to take the horse. "Come on. I kept the trainee's out late tonight, partially in hopes that you would arrive and partially to let them know they have to work hard, so dinner is still being served in the dining hall. You up to the masses tonight?"

"If it is warm food, I'm up for everything."

"How about you, Miss Eliza wasn't it?" Evin said, raising an eyebrow at Zenobia.

Eliza buried her head in Zenobia's shoulder rather than respond. "Yes, Eliza. Stop terrorizing the poor girl. She had a bit of a cold, and I thought a warm meal and a night sleeping in a warm bed might do her some good."

"You can't keep her," Evin said.

Zenobia laughed as she walked into the dining hall, then groaned internally as every one of the new recruits stopped eating and stared at her and Eliza, causing Eliza to shrink even further into her. Evin ignored them, chatting easily as he walked with them through the mess hall. He gathered stew and bread on a tray for both of them at Zenobia's direction, then took it over to a table where he sat with Muri, Daine, Buri, Sarge and the Queen.

"Evin, is this one of yours?" Sarge boomed, looking at Eliza.

Eliza looked about ready to cry, and the Buri smacked Sarge. "Stop scaring the lass," she said. "What's the matter with you."

"It's alright, Eliza. They're all good 'uns. I promise," Zenobia whispered as she sat on the bench and settled Eliza in her lap, knowing trying to transfer her to an adjacent chair was a lost cause.

Zenobia began eating hungrily, trusting Eliza to follow her lead, which she did after a few moments. The girl filled up quickly, and Zenobia forced a few more spoonfuls on her, before letting her be and continuing with her own meal. Before long, Evin had Eliza giggling as he pulled dinner rolls out of her ear, and Daine was scolding him for reusing old tricks. Zenobia smiled as she let the chatter of the table fill her, realizing how much she'd missed this companionship.

"Now that you've eaten, explain this," the Queen said, waving her hand at Eliza.

Zenobia laughed. "This is Eliza. She just had a bit of a cold, and a warm bed and a good bowl of stew for the night. Can you say hello, Eliza."

"Hello," Eliza said softly, staring at the woman.

The Queen cocked an eyebrow, clearly not believing the explanation, but letting it go. "How's the Provost work going?"

Zenobia shrugged. "It's going. Recruits so far seem good. I finish interviewing them tomorrow. There's a rapist about that I'm a bit worried about. He's raped at least five in the past month or so. Marks them on the cheek when he's done. Apparently, one like him was about twenty years ago."

The Queen frowned. "I think I remember that. The Provost before the dratted one we had before you handled it, and it was driving him nuts. George tried to help too, though he was busy with his work. You might ask him about it."

Zenobia nodded. "Is he in the palace?"

"Yes, he'll be here for at least a week I think."

"I should—"

"Go to bed," Evin interrupted firmly, already standing up. "No excuses. I'm taking you there myself, and I leave all of you to lessons and meditation. I have to watch and make sure actually sleeps a full night."

Zenobia smiled, not bothering to fight him as he helped her up and marched her outside, still carrying Eliza, who was beginning to yawn again now that she had a belly full of food. Evin smiled when Zenobia got inside their home and just stood in the middle of the room, looking about in confusion as she contemplated what to do with Eliza.

Evin went to the closet and got his bedroll and hers, pilling them up on the floor of his study, near the fire.

"She should have bed."

Evin laughed. "These are both down filled, sweet. Two of these as a mattress is as comfy as any bed. I promise."

Zenobia nodded tiredly, laying her down on it. She placed a pillow under her head and covered her with blankets. She sent a touch of her Gift through her to burn the little bit of infection she felt out. She let Evin help her up, the last of her energy gone with her healing. The world got fuzzy as Evin led her to bed, his words a comforting background as he helped her out of her clothes and under the covers. She felt him wrap himself around her before she sank into welcome unconscious.

-----

Man, Zenobia had a long day today, which led to a long freaking update. But look a quick update! Yay! Right? I hope you aren't bored with this. I actually love this story, but it's different from a lot of my stuff and I suppose from like how fanfiction works in general in that its slow with lots of plot details necessary for it all to work together. For awhile at least, it operates a lot like a mystery. I hope you guys still like it. Either way, review and tell me!!

PS Do you like the review replies? Is that annoying? Should I continue? Is the shoutout better? Despite being on here for quite awhile now, I'm still not really clear on how the whole community works, but I'd like to be more responsive since your reviews mean so much to me. Anyways, review!!


	8. Chapter 8

For what felt like the first time in years, Zenobia didn't curse internally when she felt Evin's kisses along her neck waking her up. Instead, she arched back into him, murmuring softly as his sucking kisses continued and his hands began to glide insistently across her skin. She basked in the feeling, loving the warmth of his hands on her and the lazy knowledge that intense pleasure was hers whenever she felt prepared to wake up fully. Her body began to buzz slowly as he began pausing over the spots he knew made her gasp, hovering lightly, but putting only a slight pressure on them before he moved on to the next spot. Finally, she rolled over on to her back, turning her head to catch his lips with hers and letting him have full access to her. She bit back a gasp, somehow remembering that Eliza slept in the next room, before closing her eyes and leaning her head back, letting the pleasure wash over her in waves.

"We have to get up," Evin said later, though he continued to wrap her curls around his fingers and made no move to get out of bed.

"What?" Zenobia said dazedly, looking up at him.

"We have to get up. There's a sleeping little girl in the next room who needs to be fed. The recruits will grumble that they have to up at dawn and I make my way in a few bells later, and you are supposed to interviewing recruits at the next bell."

Zenobia sat up with a sigh. "You had to say that didn't you. Now, about Eliza."

"Please tell me you aren't going to start collecting street children."

"No, I'm not. It's just I think she may have seen her father kill her mother, and if so she's the only witness. And her mother was Ritza Sareka."

"Lorena's sister?" Evin demanded, then swore colorfully when she nodded. "That'll kill Lorena. They were close."

"Do you know where she is? I thought she might want to take Eliza in, if she knew."

"They were headed abroad. I'm not sure where, but I can find out. We can keep her here until we find her," Evin said, looking sad.

"Did you know Ritza well?"

"Sort of. I knew Lorena better. Ritza was just a little kid when our families were traveling together. She's only a year or two older than you. Lorena and I were sweethearts though, mostly because there was no one our age around and we were fifteen, but she doted on Ritza quite a bit. She'll be crushed." Zenobia watched the memories dance across Evin's open face. She sat down next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder, lacing her hand through his.

"I'm sorry, Evin. I should have broken it to you easier. I knew that Gena and Lorena were close, but I had no idea your families had traveled together."

Evin smiled and kissed the top of her head. "It was a long time ago. It's more to think that happy little girl who was so loved could end up that way. I'll go see Gena today, and we'll get to work on finding Lorena. She should stay with us in the meantime."

"What will we do with her during the day? I can take her with me today while I'm interviewing recruits, but some days I'll be covering training, and I'd like to be there the first few days. I can be flexible though, since I'm not expected to be there everyday like you."

"I'll talk to Daine. See if she can hang out with Sarralyn when both of us are working. Numair watches her during training usually, and Daine said she was driving him to distraction. I bet I can convince her having a playmate will make things easier."

"Sounds good. Now, get dressed commander. You have work to do." Zenobia stood and offered a hand to Evin. He smiled as he stood, but she could still feel his sadness, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her hand through the hair at the back of his neck. "I'm so sorry, love. I promise, we'll get him for this."

Evin buried his face in her neck, kissing her gently. "I know."

"Coop," a tenuous voice called, making them both smile. "I'm hungry."

"Coming, Eliza," Zenobia said, dressing quickly and tossing Evin's clothes at him. She slipped out the door and took Eliza by the hand. "You want some food little one?"

Eliza nodded enthusiastically, and Zenobia led her out to the mess hall, picking her up when she stopped short at the sight of all the recruits.

"They aren't going to bite little one. Now, what do you want? Some porridge?" She chattered at the girl until she felt her relax a little in her arms. When she sat at the table, she put Eliza down next to her and placed a bowl of porridge in front of her. "Good morning everyone."

"Good morning, Z," Miri said with a grin. "You certainly seem chipper this morning, which I hope means that Evin will stop being cranky. Cranky Evin is just confusing. It feels like the sky is falling or something."

Zenobia laughed. "I didn't even know it was possible for him to be cranky."

"Well, he has been the last few days," the Queen said. "I think he was worried about you. You know we don't expect you to work every single possible moment, and sleep three hours a day."

"It's only been two days actually on the job, and it'll settle down soon. I've got a training schedule set up already, so the next few weeks shouldn't be too busy even with the training going on. What does cranky Evin act like?" Zenobia asked.

"He doesn't joke, and he uses a kind of mean tone sometimes," Miri replied, looking serious.

Zenobia snorted, and the whole table descended into laughter, except for Eliza who continued to mechanically eat her porridge. Evin chose that minute to appear, sliding into the bench on the other side of Zenobia.

"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Evin asked, sounding world-weary.

"Always," Miri responded with a grin.

"Zenobia, I'm supposed to remind you that you have to the merchants' ball tonight and are supposed to attend," Thayet said.

"What?" Zenobia exclaimed. "I don't have time for that."

"You do. The merchants are the people with the most sway who care about the Guard. They rely on the guard to keep their wares safe."

"I forgot to have Lalasa make a dress for me."

"We've taken care of it."

"Training recruits starts tomorrow."

"It's a good thing you already finished your training routines."

"There's a rapist on the loose."

"And I'm sure your guards will continue to gather information in your absence."

Evin laughed, causing Zenobia to turn on him. "You're going too, oh husband of mine."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Who will watch Eliza?"

"Are you adopting her?" Thayet interrupted.

"No, she's just staying with us for a little while."

"I'll watch her," Miri said.

Evin scowled at Miri. "I guess I'm going."

"Make sure you get here by sunset, so you have time to dress," Thayet said.

The bells rang, and Zenobia swore. "Finish up quick, Eliza. I'm supposed to be interviewing recruits right now, and I've just lost several working hours."

Eliza took one last spoonful, and Zenobia picked her up, tossing her on her hip and jogging out the door. She hopped on Storm and rode quickly down to the Jane Street Station.

"Eliza," she said, breaking the silence as they rode. "Can you tell me about your mama?"

When Eliza didn't respond, she changed tracks. "Do you have any aunts, Eliza?"

"Auntie Lorena," Eliza said quietly.

"Did you like your Auntie Lorena?"

"She's nice. She laughs a lot."

"Would you like to live with her?"

"She doesn't want me. Nobody wants me."

"Who told you that?"

"Da, when he said Mama left."

"But you said your mama was dead."

"He lied," Eliza said softly.

"How do you know?"

"I saw him. He thought I was sleeping, but I heard her cry, and then she was quiet, and the backdoor slammed. I looked out the window to see if he was gone. He had a shovel. He came back, and then he left, carrying her. She didn't come back."

"Do you know where he went?"

Eliza shook her head.

"Did he cover her up?"

"No," Eliza said. "He just carried her. She was wearing her green dress."

"Did you have an alley behind your house?"

Eliza nodded.

"Was it dirt? Could he have used his shovel there?"

Eliza shook her head. "No, it was stone."

Zenobia stored the words away, feeling that she had pushed the girl far enough. She leaned down and kissed her on the temple. "Your da was wrong. I know your Auntie Lorena. She would want you, if she knew your mama was gone. Evin is going to find her. He was friends with her. In the meantime, you can stay with me and Evin."

"Really?" Eliza said, looking up at her hopefully.

"Yes little one. Really."

Zenobia dismounted, letting Eliza fall into her arms and settling her down on her hip again as she walked into the station. She walked steadily up the stairs, refusing to hurry as the waiting recruits looked her over. She walked into her study and deposited Eliza on the window seat.

"Any luck?" Mason asked, jerking his head in the direction of Eliza.

"Maybe," Zenobia said. "We can discuss it later. Let's get through these recruits. I've been ordered to attend the merchants ball, so I need to be done early."

Mason chuckled. "So there are downsides to your job."

Zenobia crinkled her nose. "Yes, there certainly are."

"Next," she shouted, grinning when both the sergeants chorused with her.

About six interviews in, Eliza was getting antsy. "Coooop, I'm boooored."

Zenobia sighed, arguing with herself momentarily before saying, "Go play with Jewels, but no stealing. Here take this coin and buy you and your friends some food so you can stay out of trouble for the day."

Eliza squealed with delight, taking the cooper and rushing out the door.

"You know they'll all be at the sugar candy," Mason said.

"I know, but what else can I do with her?"

"Is she staying with you?"

Zenobia nodded. "Evin knew her mother. He's tracking down Lorena."

"Anything about the father?"

Zenobia nodded. "Eliza saw him go out with a shovel and then go out with a body."

Mason swore. "I had three witnesses that said he never went out his front door. I know the Lower City is closed mouth normally, but no one had any love for him. I can't believe they didn't tell."

Zenobia frowned. "She said he went out the back door."

"There's nothing back there. There's a tiny yard with a fence, but it's a stone yard. He couldn't have buried her under it."

"She said he went into the alley out back."

Mason frowned. "But there's no way out," he murmured to himself. Suddenly, he cursed. "He must have had a way out through the fence and fixed it after. How could I have missed that?"

"You can't see everything," Zenobia said.

"I'll send a crew out digging. We'll get the bastard," Mason said.

"Go set it up. We can handle this for awhile."

Mason nodded, beckoning the next recruit in.

Zenobia grinned when she saw the next recruit come in. "Monkey, what are you doing here? I thought you were still in Carthak."

"I got bored in Carthak," the tiny blond woman replied. "Unlike Will, I had no one to keep me occupied, and he's all settled in and boring now. And now that the Empress don't have assassins everywhere the guard work is dull. I missed all the excitement on that since you neglected to find me until after you'd killed everyone around who was worth killing. But then his majesty informed the empress of what he had in store for you. She clued me in, and I thought, me a guard? Could be fun with Coop in charge. Could do some good."

"Go pick up your gear, Monkey. See you tomorrow. Bright and early."

"She's grown since the old days," Draxen said. "I can hardly believe that's little monkey who used to clamber up every surface like she had glue on her fingers."

"I know. She was the baby of us, younger by a few years, so I always think of her as a kid. Even more than the rest. She'll be a good guard."

"Next!"

Zenobia worked through lunch to get through all the recruits, pleased when six other women, including Eva's cousin joined the training. She was finishing with the last recruit when a knock sounded on her door.

"You are late," Thayet said. "We are supposed to already be there."

Miri walked in behind her. "Where's Eliza?"

"We need to get you changed. Clothes off," Thayet said.

Zenobia groaned. "Recruit you are in. Go pick up your things. Draxen, I'll see you first thing in the morning."

She went to the window as the men left, throwing open the shutters. "ELIZA!" she shouted, waiting to see a short figure run down the street before closing the shutters and slipping her tunic over her head and her breeches off. Thayet efficiently laced her into a pretty black gown with silver trim, the colors of the Guard. She sat Zenobia down and had Miri pin up her hair while she applied face paint.

"Alright, my dear. Let's go."

"Eliza, will you be alright with Miri? She's going to take you back to Evin's place," Zenobia said, looking over to where the now filthy girl sat in the corner.

Eliza nodded, and Miri picked her up, saying something about a good dunking and making Eliza giggle. As they walked out of the station to join the rest of the party, Mason pulled around the corner with a wagon. Something was on the back of the wagon, a sheet covering it, and Eliza's father was manacled next to Mason.

"Get her out of here," Zenobia hissed quietly at Miri. Miri nodded, climbing on her pony and settling Eliza in front of her and facing away the wagon quickly. Once the two were gone, Zenobia turned to Draxen. "Well done," she said. "Thank you."

"No, Provost. Thank you. We couldn't get her to speak a word," Mason said. "Now he'll pay for what he took. Thanks to you. You're first win, Provost. Congratulations."

Zenobia smiled, gripping his shoulder in thanks before mounting Storm.

"Success already? I sure have a smart wife," Evin said with a grin.

Zenobia smiled, leaning over on Storm to give him a quick kiss. "I miss you," she whispered.

"I miss you, too, sweet," he said quietly, holding his gaze.

"Enough," Thayet instructed sternly. "You can make eyes at each other later. Let's go."

Zenobia sighed, but nudged Storm into a trot behind her. "How was your day?" she asked, realizing suddenly how long it had been since they'd had a casual conversation.

She laughed as he described his day in his usual style, the tension that had gathered at the base of her neck during her day releasing with each chuckle. They arrived too quickly, bu Zenobia smiled and took Evin's arm, curtseying elegantly when she was greeted by the hosts.

She was quickly separated from Evin and perturbed to find herself in a circle of merchant wives commenting on her dress. She gritted her teeth as she realized how easily the men had played her, putting her off to one end and making it clear she didn't belong. She curtsied and excused herself, going over to greet Jonathan.

He winked at her, noticing her scowl, and introduced her to a few of the merchant men, who promptly returned to conversing with each other, making it impossible for her to get a word in edgewise. Her frustration was growing when she felt Evin's hand against the small of back. "Want to dance?" he asked softly.

"Please," Zenobia replied, taking his hand to join him in the first dance of the evening.

"They're blocking you aren't they?"

"I am the Provost of the Guard for heaven's sake." Zenobia replied. "You think they'd at least pretend at politeness."

"It happens a court more than you think. The difference there is the most important circles have been forced to accept Alanna, Thayet, Buri and the rest. Here no one has forced them."

"I don't have the energy for that at the moment," Zenobia said with a sigh. "And I can't be bothered to care. I know the King needs me to make them confident in me, but its just..."

"I know, sweet. Give yourself a break. You don't have to win them all over now."

Zenobia nodded, letting Evin lead her through the steps. "When's the last time you ate?" he asked, looking at her in concern.

"Breakfast?" Zenobia finally said after she thought it over.

"No wonder you are so pale," Evin said, stopping mid-dance and dragging her to the buffet table. "You have to eat."

She was starting to eat from her plate piled high with food when a voice exclaimed, "Commander! Good to see you!"

Evin and Zenobia turned to see Ardsen walking toward them, tugging Eva behind him. The two men clapped each other on the back, and Evin turned and grinned at Eva. "You look as lovely as ever, Mistress Eva. Congratulations on finally roping this over-grown boy into marriage, and on the child."

Eva grinned. "Thank you. It was a trial let me tell you."

"How are the recruits looking, Lady Provost?" Ardsen asked.

Zenobia wrinkled her nose. "I'm no lady, and well. We've got a few good one's. I interviewed your cousin today Eva, I think she'll do well."

"Evin you have to see this new horse I bought. The breeder has been focusing on nimble, small horses. They might do well for some of the recruits," Ardsen said.

"Wonderful, some of us have had to search high and low for the tallest of ponies. Can we look now?"

The two left without a backwards glance at their wives, both gesticulating excitedly as Evin quizzed Ardsen about the breeder.

Eva laughed. "Oh, men."

Zenobia smiled. "You've got a good one," she said with a smile. "I was surprised when I heard the whole story. It's not many wealthy merchant's sons who want the life of Rider, let alone a guard. And it's not many merchant's daughters who let their sweethearts go off like that."

Eva shrugged. "Quite a few of us go off to be Riders. Even a few women lately. Want their flavor of excitement before their father's step down and hand over the reigns I suppose. The women are usually lifers though. It's difficult to marry after doing that. With Ardsen it was different. He hates business. He'd rather be doing something with his hands. I actually suggested he join the Guard after we married. Taking that feeling of doing good work away from him would have made him so unhappy, and he would have done it for me. Perhaps, that's why I don't ask him to. I love him too much to tie how down entirely. The thought of losing him is terrifying, but if I stopped him, I would have lost him anyways."

"He's got a good one too," Zenobia said. "And the men love him, as do the city folk. That goes a long way to keeping you safe."

"Except they love him because he does his job well, no matter how risky," she said with a sigh. Zenobia felt her shake of her fear before she smiled. "Did my cousin do alright? The silly thing was so nervous. She's so shy."

The two women were still talking about recruiting and training when a large, jowly man came over and boomed, "Eva, introduce me to your lovely companion."

"This is Zenobia Larse, Provost of the King's Guard. Provost, this is Samen Marensaw, my husband's uncle."

Zenobia's skin crawled as the man bowed, taking her hand and kissing it sloppily. He returned from the bow slowly, leering obviously at her chest in the process. Zenoba fought the urge to wipe her hand on her skirt as she curtsied to the man.

"So, Provost, do you really think _you_ will be able to keep our wares safe?" Samen asked with a wink.

Zenobia kept her face smooth. "I am sure I will be able to, Master Samen."

"The Provost is quite experienced, Uncle Samen," Eva said. "She was Empress Kalasin's guard and saved the Empress' life on many occasions while those assassination attempts were occurring. The Guardsmen all speak highly of her."

"So you say. When I left Tortall, we had a woman Champion, but now they run about all over the place. I've yet to be convinced they can do their job."

"Now uncle, you've only been back a few months. Perhaps you can see all the wonderful work being done by women before you decide," Eva said calmly.

"Where have you been, Master Samen?" Zenobia asked.

"I was trading in the Cooper Isles, keeping an eye on my nephew's wealth there."

"Were you there long?"

"Near twenty years," he replied with a smile, looking her over slowly once again. "Why are you so interested, Lady?"

"Just making polite conversation."

"Excuse us, Uncle. There's some people I must introduce the Provost to," Eva said abruptly, taking Zenobia by the arm and leading her away.

"I'm sorry for that," Eva said. "He's vile, isn't he? He's Ardsen's father's brother. He was making ruins of our trade in the Cooper Isles. I don't know what Grandfather was thinking when he put him in charge of that. I convinced Grandfather to take him off the job, which has improved our profits enormously, but now means he's hear staring at my breasts all the time."

"You should probably introduce me to someone. You don't want him to know how you feel at this point I presume."

"I actually do want to introduce you to Grandfather. I noticed the men were shunting you, and if you win him over your job is done. He's a mean old grouch, and he'll prod you about being a woman. Just be sassy. He's confused by this world of women, but as long as your intelligent he couldn't care less. He likes to be challenged, and you needn't fear offending him," Eva instructed.

Zenobia gulped internally, but let Eva lead her over to Old Man Miscka. He was a legend among the streets. The wiliest merchant of all time people said, and the meanest.

"Grandfather, may I present Zenobia Larse, Provost of the King's Guard. Zenobia, this is Master Miscka." Zenobia curtsied as Miscka nodded his head.

"Well, lass, do you have anything but your looks going for you? Or is that pretty head of yours as empty as most of the women who run around this city?" the old man demanded with a twinkle in his eye.

"There's a thought or two stored away in here somewhere, I believe," Zenobia replied with a grin, liking him immediately as she felt the true jest behind his words.

He cackled. "I imagine so. It takes a fair smart young thing to get into my warehouse, and an even smarter one to leave the jewels and go for the perfumes. I never did figure out how that young thing crept into my warehouse."

Zenobia grinned. That had been one of the hardest of her heists, but well worth it. The perfumes were impossible to trace back once she'd rebottled them, and she sold them to street sellers and turned a nice profit. "I suppose it would. We'll have to make sure a guard or two walks past your warehouse at extreme low-tide. Without water under the dock, there's an interesting angle exposed to get through the back of the warehouses."

Miscka grinned and slapped his leg. "Of course. An excellent plan Provost. An excellent plan."

"So, you never went after this smart young thing?" Zenobia asked. She'd though she'd gotten away with it clear, but apparently not. Rumors say she should have paid with her right thumb for stealing from him.

"There was true artistry in that job. It would have been a waste of talent to take that thumb. But enough about thievery, tell me about these changes you're making to the guard. The new rotations sound good, though your dividing line near the main street sounds dubious."

Zenobia spent the rest of the evening talking to him, and he beckoned over all the other merchants and made his approval of her clear to them all. Forcing them to listen to her explanations of why she was changing the guard, and how it would be better. At last, it was time to go, and Zenobia and Evin mounted their horses and rode back to the castle. She thought about Miscka and the rest of the merchants, pleased her life had been made so easy by the old man's trust. As they got closer to the castle, she turned her mind back to Ardsen's Uncle, mulling over what her senses had told her.

When they walked into their rooms, Zenobia smiled at the sight of Miri and Eliza curled up together in Evin's large chair. Zenobia picked Eliza up carefully, leaving Evin to shake Miri awake. She laid her back down on the sleeping roles, crooning to her softly when she stirred. She stroked her hair softly until the little girl was deeply asleep again.

She turned to see Evin leaning against the wall smiling at her.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked softly, taking his hand as they walked back into the bedroom.

"You," Evin replied, slowly unlacing her gown. "I love you. And all your contradictions. Tough all night then melt into a puddle when you pick up a child. That's my girl."

Zenobia laughed softly, knowing he was right. She almost purred when Evin ran his fingers softly over the lines indented into her sides by the dress and kissed her neck. "I love you too."

----

Please don't hate me. I'm updating as fast as I can. Yell at my professors if you want it to go faster. Hopefully you like it!!

There's been some wondering if Kally is going to make it in here. I hadn't thought about it honestly, but perhaps a letter or two can creep in here. I think a visit is out. Kally was there for wedding recently, she's a busy empress, she can't be coming to Tortall all the time. But letters perhaps.

As always REVIEW!! Tell me what you like. Tell me what you don't like.


	9. Chapter 9

The pounding at the door drew Zenobia out of a deep sleep, and Evin groaned and pulled on some breeches, tossing a nightshirt to Zenobia. She rubbed her eyes sleepily as he walked in to his study. "It's alright, Eliza," he murmured reassuringly, before opening the door. Zenobia forced herself to get out of bed and pad into the other room. She found Eliza cowering under Evin's desk and dragged her out, cuddling her close.

"I'm going to have to go, sweet," Evin said quietly as Raoul, Buri and others trickled in to his room. "Mudslides on the coast, and the spidrens are coming out of the woods and preying on them."

Zenobia nodded, kissing him gently before exiting the room. She curled up with Eliza on the bed, stroking the still shaking girl's hair. "You're safe, Eliza," she soothed. "They're friends of ours. You're safe. Don't be scared."

Eliza drifted back to sleep, and Zenobia soon followed, waking briefly when Evin gave her a kiss good-bye.

"I love you, sweet. Be safe," he whispered, making her smile even in her sleep-addled state.

"I believe you are the one headed for some spidrens, not me. Love you. Be safe," she murmured, falling back to sleep immediately. He paused, turning back for one last look at Zenobia curled around Eliza before walking out the door.

Zenobia woke to Eliza's sticky hands stroking her face. Zenobia cracked an eyelid open, saw that the sun wasn't up and groaned. "It's not even dawn," she said. "Go back to sleep."

"But I'm not sleepy," Eliza whined. Zenobia sighed and tossed the covers back.

"We could both use a bath anyways. You smell little one, and I'm not much better."

Zenobia pulled on old clothes and gestured to Eliza to follow her. "Let's do some weapons training, little one."

Zenobia walked out of the rooms and wandered over to the practice areas to find Buri, Thayet, Shinko, Daine and Yuki on the courts together.

"Zenobia," Thayet said with a smile. "We didn't expect you."

Zenobia smiled, "This one woke me up so I figured I'd come see if any of you were about. I'm surprised you're here, Buri. I assumed the King's Own went as well."

"They did," Buri replied. "But Raoul had Kel go out with Third Company and stayed behind. His leg is still bothering him some from that fight with the bandits, and I decided to stay too. I suspect I'll regret it when his inability to find something to occupy himself with becomes a problem in about a day."

"Which explains why Evin left the trainees," Zenobia said, only now realizing that it was odd for her husband to leave the trainees behind. "You want him and Kel to get used to working together."

"Exactly," Thayet said. "Now care to join us?"

Zenobia smiled and picked up a glaive. She learned the basics of the weapon over the past month and liked having the extra-length, but she knew she'd never give up her sai. She relaxed in to the familiar routine, chatting with the other women even as they fought. Afterwards, they all went to the bathhouse together. The other women laughed as Zenobia had to force the screeching Eliza into the warm bath, though the little girl enjoyed herself once she got used to the feeling. Zenobia scrubbed her all over and with relief accepted Thayet's offer of old children's clothes that she still had around.

"Well, aren't you a pretty lass under all that grime," Thayet said when Eliza was all dressed in her new clothes. The girl kept petting the softness of Lianne's old dress in awe, unused to the feeling of cotton that fine.

"She'll be covered again by the end of the day no doubt. Street kids like us always find mud wherever we go, ain't that right Eliza?" she said, braiding the girl's hair quickly.

"That's all children," Thayet said. "The difference is that ours just have to look a little harder, but they do find it. I found Roald and Kally in the pig stye once not longer after Daine showed up in our lives. Kally kept insisting that one was a sweet little thing and wanted her for a pet."

Zenobia laughed and picked Eliza up. "Well, it's back to Jane Street for us. Let's see how the recruits are doing with their early morning training."

She spent the morning watching the trainee's silently, consciously staying lofty and clearly making them uncomfortable. She needed to know they could do well even under pressure. Occasionally she barked orders out at them, forcing them all to stay on their toes, and she always referred to them as puppies. During a water break for the recruits, Draxen came over to talk to her, informing her that another woman had shown up with the slash on her face. She'd been nabbed near the river as well, though far closer to the castle than Marlie.

"Well, we officially have a copycat if nothing else," Zenobia said, keeping her voice low. "There are at least three others that haven't come forward. I'm hoping they do soon."

"They will, Provost. You've been here less than a week, and already you can feel a shift in the wind. Folk look at us different. They'll come," Draxen said.

Zenobia gripped his shoulder, silently showing her appreciation as the recruits filed back in. "Line up," she shouted. "Pop quiz, puppies. How many weapons do I have on me? We've been in here all morning. You ought to be able to know or have a damn fine guess of every single one."

It was mid-afternoon when Maomi walked in, three women close behind her. They each had a red gash on their faces, and a hush fell over the room. One of the women held her head up proud, but the second ducked her head while the third woman put a comforting arm around her.

"Come with me," Zenobia said immediately, herding all four of them up the stairs and in to her office, away from the eyes of the station.

"Thank you so much for coming in," Zenobia said, dragging her chair around to the front of the desk in hopes of keeping them from becoming intimidated. "I am Zenobia Larse, Provost of the Guard."

"Thank you for having us," Maomi said. "This is Belena, Rita and Tamar."

"Did any of you get a good look at him?" Zenobia asked, unsurprised when all three shook their heads.

"Can you tell me where you were when it happened?" Zenobia asked, carefully cataloging the places as each woman spoke. Belena was the most forthright of the three. Zenobia could feel her anger coming off in waves, and self-anger to, as though she blamed herself. Rita was quieter, seeming to be more worried about Tamar than herself. Tamar smelled of fear and shame, while Zenobia felt mostly pity and sadness coming off of Rita.

None of the women had gotten a good look at him, though Belena was fairly certain that he was not from Corus, insisting that he "spoke funny." But she also couldn't place his accent, despite working as goods cataloguer on the docks, where she would have heard plenty of different speakers from all over. At Zenobia's request, she explained, "This is what was driving me mad. He said, Stawp, like a rural Tortallan, when he told me to stop, but he also slid a curse word in I've only heard from those that speak the slave tongue of the Cooper Isles, and he said going, like a noble, not goin' like all of us."

She paused and thought it over, before looking up at Zenobia. "He sounded like you, Provost, like one who slips into whatever tongue is most comfortable for him at the time. Like he had control over his tongue and thought about every word most of time, but when in a rage, or in a passion, all sorts of things fell off his tongue at once. How do you sound when you get in a rage?"

Zenobia frowned at the remark, so close to Marlie's. "Thank you," she said. "You've been a big help. I promise you, this will end with him on executioner's hill. If you need anything at all, even just someone to talk to, come to me. When I'm not here, I'm usually up by the Rider's barracks."

When the women left, she pulled out a map of Corus from her drawer and tacked it to the wall. Taking her pins out, she slid a red pin into every spot where he'd raped a woman, then a blue tack where the women worked and a green tack where they lived. The red tacks hugged the river close, except for Rita, who'd been snatched out from the open hill between the main city of Corus and the castle walls and dragged in to the forest. Five women in all, over four weeks. He wouldn't be stopping anytime soon.

She scribbled a note for George Cooper, asking if he had any information about the previous attacks. She whistled for one of the street kids, and handed a boy a copper and told him to run it up to the castle.

She went back down, pulling Draxen aside and asking him to write down anything he could remember about the previous attacks and to ask other guards who'd been around to do the same. She also had him shift the patrols around so more guards would be along the river. After that, she returned to the recruits, forcing herself to focus on them, rather than on contemplation of the slasher.

She left early, Eliza running to meet her at her call. She laughed at the girl, covered head to toe in mud, and they rode back to the castle. She sat with Buri and the other commanders at dinner after she'd washed the muck off Eliza, enjoying the banter as always, but missing Evin's presence all the more for it. When she got back, she found a pile of notebooks on Evin's desk along with a note from George Cooper. She ignored the stack for the moment, playing a few games with Eliza before the little girl went to bed.

Finally, she sat down and read the note.

_Zenobia,_

_I know little about the slasher. We were trying to track down the rebels at the time, and I was all over Tortall doing work or at Pirate's Swoop trying to get things settled there. I know that whoever he was wasn't connected to the Rogue. Marek had looked in to the matter extensively—he targeted flower sellers at first, till they started sticking together in groups so he couldn't. Marek had all his men vetted, and he was active enough that Marek could figure whether his people had an alibi or not. These are the journals of the Lord Provost. He was heavily involved, and he was good at his job. With luck, they'll tell you some of what you need to know. _

_George Cooper_

Zenobia sighed. George's insights would have been helpful, but she had guessed he tried to keep out of Corus during the early part of his transition, and she wasn't surprised to hear he wasn't involved with the investigation. She searched through the journals till she found the right years, then began reading.

As she read, she realized why Marek and all the others had always spoke to reverently of this man. His canniness came through easily, and for a noble he was good at thinking like a rat. She skimmed along until she saw a tangential notation to the slasher. She continued to read, making notes of each time an attack took place. He didn't always name the victim, or the place of she was taken in the beginning, but soon his journal spoke of little else. She finished one year and picked up the next, only to have a slip of paper fall out. She opened up and heaved a sigh of relief. A full list of every woman, with a date of her attack and where she was attacked met her eyes. She sent a prayer up to the Black God, hoping he would thank the Lord Provost for his thoroughness, then decided to go to bed. She'd get up early tomorrow, and add another set of pins. It was time to try and figure out if this was the same man who terrorized Corus all those years before.

----

Hope you enjoyed it! Sorry this is taking me so long. Oh, are any of you interested in Raoul/Buri one-shots? I did a competition with the Tamora Pierce Writing Experiment, and it made me think about doing a few for them like Life at the Swoop, but probably all T or below. Obviously, Zenobia will come first until she's done. As always review and tell me what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Zenobia finally gave up on sleep around midnight. She got out of bed and padded back into Evin's study. She curled into his chair and continued to read the Lord Provost's journals, skimming quickly until an old friend's name jumped out at her.

_The Shang Unicorn came to see me today. She's been on the hunt for the slasher for awhile. Apparently, the fourth woman he raped was a friend of hers. Her anger makes her dangerous. She had good information though. She's tracked down a few women who haven't come forward, and I've added them to my list. She's a hunter, and he's her prey. She'll kill him if she finds him. I just hope no one innocent gets in her way._

Zenobia reached for the list and found the fourth woman on the list. Anabell Serenia, caught along the river. As she read the name, she felt the familiar tug of her Sight. She flipped back to his journal for the week she was raped, but found nothing. He hadn't been tracking the slasher yet.

What could possibly be important about this woman? Did he know her? Did she see him? She wracked her mind, as her Sight continued to bother her, but couldn't remember anyone mentioning that name, or any Serenias who lived in the Lower City. She didn't remember the Shang Unicorn mentioning her or the slasher. Did she kill the original slasher? Was this a copycat? But he fit the pattern; they'd both started by the river and branched when patrols started up there. It had to be the same guy. But why would he have stopped and then started again two decades later?

She shook her head, trying to clear her Sight's annoying tugging from her mind and focusing again on the journals. She read through to the slasher's disappearance, and the Lord Provost's anger was palpable. He'd become obsessed by the end. His journal, which had early on detailed all sorts of different crimes, contained only information and speculation on the slasher in the last month that he was in Corus. Seven months after the first attack he wrote:

_A month without the slasher taking another victim. The Shang Unicorn insists that she had nothing to do with his death, and I'm inclined to believe her. Perhaps he went after the wrong woman. The women of Corus are safe again, but I still wish I'd been able to get my hands on him._

Zenobia skimmed a few days ahead, but saw no more information on the slasher in her journal. Sighing, she put it aside, reading over the list carefully. With a jolt she realized she knew a number of these women. It had never occurred to her to consider those faded scars on their faces in conjunction. He wasn't exact in his markings. The length, depth and exact placement changed. But he always marked their faces.

Her Sight crept in again, drawing her eye back to Anabell Serenia. She sighed. Perhaps it was time to bring her Sight in to this some more. She crept out the door, careful not to wake Eliza. She walked quickly across the castle grounds and opened the big doors to Baylor's Needle. She walked quickly up the stairs and at the top the breeze hit her, and she breathed it in. It felt like home up here with the breeze. It wasn't bringing her anything, so she searched out again, and once again found that indefinable something at made her hair stand on end. Was that the slasher? Would she feel him like that? She could always sense troublemakers if she tried hard enough, but this was different. She tried using Numair's techniques, turning the wind back to find more, but she was unable to find whatever it was that she was sensing. The wind seemed unable to reach wherever it was, or whatever it was.

She felt her frustration grow. What was going on? What wasn't she Seeing? Who was Anabell Serenia? Who was the slasher?

She forced the unhelpful thoughts out of her head and sat on the balcony. The breezed bumped against her, and she laughed a little when she thought it felt apologetic.

"It's okay, old friend," she whispered. "We can't do everything."

She made her way back to her rooms, climbing in to her empty bed. She tossed and turned for awhile before falling in to a fitful sleep.

"Mama!" Zenobia sat up with a start, the cry lingering in her ears. A clinging feeling of fear and powerlessness wrapped around her, images of dark streets and strong hands wrapped around her wrists invaded her thoughts, making reality and her dream world seem indistinguishable.

"Mama!" The second cry woke Zenobia fully, and she got up and quickly moved to Eliza as soon as she realized the cry wasn't in her own mind.

"Eliza, Eliza," she crooned, picking the little girl up.

Eliza woke and wrapped her arms around Zenobia's neck, crying in to her shoulder.

"It's okay, sweet. It's okay." Zenobia carried her back to her room. She curled the up in the bed with her, rubbing her back until she fell back to sleep. Zenobia followed her quickly, sleeping more peacefully than she had before.

She woke shortly before dawn again, leaving Eliza slumbering and making her way out to practice weapons with the other women. She collected Eliza before her bath, and once they were cleaned and clothed, she made her way to the station. She oversaw training of the recruits, had lunch with the sergeants, keeping quiet and listened as they traded information, then went up to her study and began sticking pegs into the map, tracing old and new victims. She figured out three places he'd favored before and hadn't hit yet, and had guards sent to patrol those areas particularly.

In the late afternoon, she interviewed healers until she found two she thought would do well to supplement the healers they had focused on the guard. As the day guard came in, she talked to all of them, listening carefully and mentally cataloging the news they brought.

She called Eliza in and they rode back to the castle together. After dinner, Eliza and Daine and Numair's daughter made friends, while Zenobia wrote up a report for the King. Once she'd finished, she went outside to find Eliza. She and Sarra were happily playing with Tahoe, Onua's large hound. Zenobia smiled as Tahoe licked Eliza's face enthusiastically, making the little girl giggle.

"Thank you," she said to Daine.

Daine waived her off. "Don't be silly. Eliza's a sweet girl, and it's nice for Sarra to have someone close to her age to play with. Neither Numair nor I had many friends when we were children. It's nice to know that won't have to be true for Sarra."

Zenobia sighed. "I need to get that orphanage set up. The other street kids deserve to have a warm place to sleep and get food without feeling locked up. They deserve baths and get licked in the face by large dogs."

Daine squeezed her arm. "They do, but you can't do everything, Z. Just take it one step at a time. And if you want to leave her with us for the day sometimes, feel free. I meant what I said about Sarra having friends to play with."

"Thank you. I may take you up that while Evin is gone."

"Any word on her Aunt?"

"I honestly don't know. Evin said he would send word out, but I have no idea if he actually got to it before he left. We've hardly been able to talk since I started this."

"It's hard sometimes, running all over the place. Not seeing each other for days and hardly having energy to do more than crawl in to bed, let alone talk to each other. It'll get better. As you settle in, you'll have less work, and you'll learn that there is always a catastrophe, but that doesn't mean you have to feel guilty for taking some time to talk to your husband," Daine said kindly.

Zenobia smiled. "Alright Eliza. Time for bed."

Once Zenobia had Eliza tucked in, she pulled out a journal and began writing down everything she'd heard from her the guardsman, as well as beginning a summary of what she'd been working on with the slasher. Once she began reading the Provost's journals, she realized how useful it would be to track information as it came it, since she'd never know what would be important later. Once she finished, she got back in bed. She slept fitfully, old dreams of killing the guard entertwined with knew ones of a cloaked man with a knife awaiting her in alleys. Eliza climbed into bed with her a few bells before dawn, easing Zenobia's dreams some.

She woke up at dawn and went through the same routine of gathering information and taking care of administrative duties. Yet another woman had been attacked. Zenobia chewed out the two guards that had been supposed to be guarding the area before putting them on scut duty for the rest of their lives when she found out they'd been too busy taking a three-bell long dinner to cover the area. Once she was finished, she walked out to the area, the wind hitting her was tainted and sour, but she couldn't trace the source. It clung to her, that sour scent. It wasn't until she was home tickling Eliza into submission and forcing her giggling into the baths that she was able to shake the clinging sense of evil.

She and Eliza fell into a pattern together. Zenobia worked constantly, tracking down old victims and trying to think ahead of the slasher. No matter how well she placed her men, they were never able to track him. He was always one step ahead. He seemed to know where her people were placed and found small back alleys or little known clearings to grab his victims. Many were places that she'd hidden as a child, places where she would wait for the wind to tell her a fat purse was on the way and no guards were about. She shuddered to think that her safe spaces were no longer safe.

-----------

I know. I'm terrible. I have three more weeks of finals, and then my updating should pick up quickly. I have this whole story plotted out, I just have to, you know, write it. This chapter is kind of a filler piece because it was something I could write quickly. Future chapters will be much meatier. We have one or two more of moderate action, and then stuff starts getting pretty exciting pretty fast, so hang in there. And, as always, REVIEW!


	11. Chapter 11

As Zenobia sparred with Princess Shinkokami before dawn, she thought about Anabell. A pretty woman with dark curly hair had haunted her dreams lately and somehow she knew that she was Anabell. She forced her thoughts away from the woman, scolding herself about wasting her time on such thoughts that were clearly not helpful. Instead she considered the results of the unofficial agreement between herself and Emma that had some of Emma's trusted people patrolling areas for the slasher to help augment the overworked guard's attempts to find him. They also patiently followed a few men Zenobia thought were worth looking in to, including Askren's uncle, though the uncle in particular was tricky, since she was sure Old Man Miscka's house had secret passages in and out of it. She wanted to use more of Emma's people, but she feared the repercussions of working so openly with the Rogue, particularly so early in her post, and Emma had similar concerns.

"You've gotten lazy, little bit." Zenobia started at the familiar voice and then landed on her butt when Shinko surprised her with a sweep at her knees. Zenobia scrambled to her feet, rushing forward to throw her arms around the tall woman.

"Hello, little bit," the older woman said quietly. "I can't believe you. I leave you alone for three years, and you save the Empress of Carthak, get married to the Commander of the Riders and become Provost of the Guard. Have I left anything out?"

Zenobia pulled away and turned. "Let me introduce you to every one. Your majesty, this Kylaia al Jmaa, the Shang Unicorn."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kylaia. To what do we owe the honor of your presence?"

"I try and keep tabs on little bit here now and then, and I heard rumors that an old enemy of mine is in town."

"You taught Zenobia weapons," Alanna stated.

Kylaia nodded. "Yes, I saw her potential, but I couldn't bring her into the Shang fold because she was Gifted."

"So, you taught her the Sai," Alanna said with a grin.

"Yes," Kylaia said, her voice even, though Zenobia could feel her confusion over the questioning.

"Alanna wants to see us spar," Zenobia explained. "They've never seen me spar against someone who actually knows how to use a set of Sai."

Kylaia nodded. "Of course. I need to knock you around a few times. You've developed bad habits in my absence."

"I have not," Zenobia exclaimed.

"There's plenty that will want to see this. How about after dinner tonight?" Alanna said.

"Kylaia is probably tired," Zenobia began.

"Tonight will be fine. That will give me time to find some lodgings."

"Don't be ridiculous," Zenobia said. "You can stay with me."

"We'll have an extra mattress brought in for you," Thayet said.

"That won't be necessary."

"Yes it will. I finally have nice lodgings. And I remember how you showed up for those two bad winters when I was a babe. I know you only stayed in Corus for a whole winter to make sure I had some place warm to sleep. Let me return the favor."

Kylaia nodded. "Very well."

Zenobia ushered her into her and Evin's room. "How have you been?" Kylaia asked, reaching out to touch the younger woman's hair, her voice softer now that they were in private.

"Good. Except for this damn slasher," Zenobia said, watching her old friend carefully. A flicker crossed her smooth face for a moment, but it passed quickly. "He's why you're here, isn't he?"

Kylaia raised an eyebrow. "Your Sight is that good these days?"

"It's pretty good, but actually the old Provost wrote about you in his journals."

Kylaia nodded. "Yes. I've followed leads on him all over this realm. Carthak, Port Legann, Carthak. He's been everywhere."

"What?" Zenobia exclaimed. "Everyone here thought he was dead."

Kylaia shook her head. "He just started traveling more. He rarely rapes more than two or three women in a single village. He hadn't been doing it nearly as frequently until now. At least as far as I can tell. It's possible I just didn't find out about many of them."

"Why? He's bad, but there's so much bad in this world. And if he travels that much, how can you find him? You're always behind him."

"He took someone from me."

"Anabell Serenia," Zenobia said quietly.

Kylaia laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. "How did you know?"

"The Provost wrote that you were friends. And she's, she's niggled at me some."

"Niggled at you?"

"She's important, somehow. She's the key. Do you know why?"

Kylaia shrugged. "She was a wonderful woman, but she's no different than the rest in terms of what he did to her. She didn't know him."

"It's possible she knew him, but didn't know she knew him."

"She was Sighted," Kylaia said. "Not as much power as you, but she would have known if he was someone she had regular contact with, or he had been around a lot."

"Why do you say was? Did she die?"

"She killed herself. Less than a year afterwards. She was a proud woman, a brave woman, and he made her afraid. She couldn't live with that." Zenobia could feel the deep ache and love behind Kylaia's words.

"You were close."

"She was the best friend I ever had. I wish you could have met her, little bit. She was a lot like you. She was fierce, loyal, cunning, beautiful." Kylaia smiled. "There aren't many women like her around."

"I'm sorry," Zenobia said. She paused but then continued. "Are you sure you can't think of any other reason why she would be more connected to all of this? My Sight wouldn't keep on me if it was just that you two knew each other."

"No, there's no reason." She was lying, but Zenobia knew calling her on it was useless. If Kylaia had decided something was important enough to lie about it, the Trickster himself wouldn't be able to swindle the words out of her mouth, and she wouldn't hold back information that would help her find the Slasher.

Zenobia sighed. "Very well. I need to get to work."

"I would like to sleep. And a bath would be nice." Zenobia pointed her towards the bathhouses and showed her the bed. She collected Eliza then walked out the door, pondering the conversation with her friend. She'd never known Kylaia to lie before. What was she holding back? And why?

She went through her usual routine, working with the new recruits, talking to her sergeants and talking to various guards as they came in. Counterfeit coin had started to appear and their were rumors of smugglers, so she dispatched a few of her more capable guards to gather information and report back to her. She was sitting on her desk staring at the map, searching for a pattern in the mass of pins imbedded in it when a knock sounded at her door.

"Come in," she shouted.

Jewel showed up at her door. "Coop, her majesty wants to be seein' ye. Soon as ye can. She said she's in yer old place, by the bakery."

Zenobia frowned. "Do you know what about?"

"She didn't say, but folks are sayin' she left in a 'urry in the middle of the night last night, and she tain't come back yet."

"Thank you." She tossed a coin at her before turning to collect a few things and a long coat. She hopped up on the roof of the building, hopping from one rooftop to the next before sliding down a back alley and taking a few short turns.

"Em," she called softly when she got to the alley.

Emma stood up and turned, her face showing barely restrained fury. "The slasher got Lydia," she said quietly. Zenobia froze. Was the slasher mad? Grabbing the beloved baby sister of the Rogue King?

"She won't come out," Emma said quietly. "Her face is bloody, and he bruised her badly. Much worse than he normally does."

"Lydia," Zenobia called quietly, peering in at the younger woman. She was hidden in a small tunnel where Zenobia, Emma and Will had slept when they were younger. It had been meant to be part of the Sewer, but abandoned when it was decided not to connect the Lower City to the sewers. She could no longer fit in the space, nor could Emma, but Lydia had always been a petite girl.

"Lydia, sweet, come out so I can heal you," Zenobia said softly, praying the girl would listen.

"Can you use magic to get her out?" Emma asked quietly.

Zenobia frowned. "Mayhap, but it'd be loud. I'm afraid it would scare her even worse."

"I've been trying to get her out for hours. I don't know what else to do," Emma said, and Zenobia heard the tears behind her words.

"This isn't your fault Emma."

"Isn't it? He went after her, and now she doesn't trust me, and who can blame her since I was gone for so long."

"It's not your fault," Lydia said quietly.

Emma started, then peered back in. "Lydia, sweetheart please come out of there."

Finally Lydia began easing herself out of the tunnel towards the older women. They took her hands and dragged her out carefully.

Zenobia put her hand to Lydia's face, healing the slash before she began on the rest of her. "You've broken your ankle."

"That's how he caught me. He was chasing me and I was nearly to the tunnel, but I looked back to see how far away he was and caught my foot under a loose stone."

"Getting back to the Dove will be a joy," Lydia said bitterly. "I don't imagine riding a horse would be very comfortable right now."

Emma bit her lip, then got up. "I'll be right back," she said, kissing her sister's head briefly, then running down the road. She returned half a bell later with a man in tow. Zenobia raised an eyebrow when she saw who it was, but had to admit that it was the best choice given the circumstances. He was strong enough to carry her easily, and Lydia had known him since she was a toddler.

"Hello brat," Thom of Pirate's Swoop said with a gentle smile. "I hear you need a little help getting back to the Dove."

He picked her up carefully, mindful of her ankle. "Do you eat?" he demanded.

Lydia actually smiled. "As much as always."

"Which means more than me," Thom replied, following Emma out of the alley while Zenobia followed behind. Emma led them down back alleys, taking a longer route than necessary, but keeping them out of view of most people.

"Can you get up to the roof carrying her?" Emma asked when they got to the back entrance.

"No. I'll do an invisibility spell if you don't want people to see her."

Emma chewed her lip.

"That'll add more suspicion," Zenobia finally said, "after all you'll have to get people to clear fair wide to get her through the lobby and up the stairs."

"It's you I'm worried about as much as her, Thommy," she said quietly. "You're Da will hear about it if you walk in there."

Thom shrugged. "He knows I'm friends with Zenobia. It's not a stretch to get to you. He won't care anyways. Ma might make a fuss, but I think just calling her a hypocrite on this one should be sufficient."

"Are you sure? Z and I can get her the rest of the way."

Thom rolled his eyes and walked around to the front of the door, waiting for Emma to open the door before walking in. The room fell silent as the thieves watched Emma's childhood sweetheart and the old Rogue's son carry Lydia through the Dove and up the stairs to Emma's bedroom. Thankfully, the younger woman had fallen asleep during the walk, so she didn't see the all the eyes in the room turn towards her.

Thom placed her carefully on the Rogue's bed and then looked around and smiled slightly.

"Have you ever been here?" Emma asked as she carefully tucked the blankets around her sleeping sister.

"No, but it's familiar. The same style of wooden carving up there lines my father's study." Thom looked at her for a moment, than said quietly, "It's not your fault, Em. It's possible he didn't even know who she was."

"Either way, he made a big mistake," Emma snapped. "None of my people will question it now if I put all of them on his trail. We'll flush the bastard out, one way or another."

"I'll come by tomorrow morning and check on her healing, and we can talk about the best way to use all our people then," Zenobia said.

Emma nodded, then showed the two of them out. She paused at the bar and said, "Thommy, wait a moment. I want to show you something before you go, in case you don't get another chance to come here."

She took his hand and guided him behind the bar. "The bartender's in the Dove used to let the little lads they liked best carve their name under the bar with the date they had their first drink," she said, then pointed to spot along the wooden bar. "Alan" was carved neatly into the wood with a date next to it.

Thom laughed. "How unfair. She would have turned that tongue of hers on us if we had our first drink at twelve. She and Da were friends since she was first in Corus though, so he kept her off it for awhile at least. I wonder why he let her have it."

He turned to leave then paused, leaning down to kiss Emma on the cheek and squeezing her hand before he walked out the door. Emma watched the door for a long moment after it closed behind him.

"He still cares about you," Zenobia commented quietly, sheltered behind the bar from the prying ears of the court. "He's never looked at the woman he's with these days the way he just looked at you."

"Stop," Emma said, her voice low and dangerous. "He's part of a life that I never got to live, and that I never will live. He's part of a life where the whole world and all it's wonderful knowledge was at my fingertips. That life was snatched away from me. All of it. Including him."

"Emma—"

"Good night, Zenobia," she said firmly. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

* * *

HA! I figured out the line break button. I HATE that all my breaks have disappeared in my old stories. I should go back and put them in, but I'm too lazy. Anyways, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I can't believe I've turned into one of the slowest updaters around. I thought post-finals it would be better, but I'm commuting to work, and I have little time for writing, and when I do have time I'm tired, which isn't great for writing. I think there's a chance this will be my last long plot story. Until I can get to a place where I can devote the appropriate amount of time for a full story, I just can't do it anymore. It may be just the occasional one-shot/connected one-shots for me. BUT, I will finish this one. Promise. Promise. As always, your reviews are what motivate me to keep on trucking, so keep them coming!

Oh, also, confession since it comes up in reviews. I don't have a beta, and I rarely proofread my writing more than one quick read through. The reason there are so often hilarious typos, and I mix up their/there, your/you're, etc, is because I am an incredibly lazy writer and hate proofreading and type really quick (and touch type as one of you correctly guessed). You are right to harp at me, but it is unlikely I'll change my ways, particularly since I have less time to write than I used to. I hope it doesn't annoy you all too much and feel free to keep pointing out the silliness. Perhaps eventually the shame will whip me into shape.

REVIEW!


	12. Chapter 12

A knock sounded on Zenobia's office and she sighed and pushed away the map. She rubbed her eyes briefly, trying to get the colored dots to stop floating around in front of her eyes.

"Come in," she yelled, hearing the exhausting in her own voice and wincing slightly.

A woman about Evin's age came in. She was beautiful, with features that looked larger than life that were emphasized by the dramatic and well-applied face paint she wore.

"Zenobia," she said hesitatingly. "Do you remember me?"

"Lorena," Zenobia exclaimed as soon as she heard the woman's musical voice, rushing from behind the desk to hug her. "I hardly recognized you."

"You hardly recognized me? You've gone and turned into a woman in the time I left Corus," she said, releasing her hold and looking her over. "I admit I was taken aback when I heard you and Ev were married. I still pictured that little girl that used to run around with Ev's bratty sister. But you're a woman now, that's for sure."

There was a pause, and Zenobia shifted feeling awkward. "I'm sorry about your sister."

Lorena's eyes filled with tears, and she looked down. "Thank you. I knew he hit her. I mean I never admitted it to myself, but she always had a bruise and an explanation that didn't quite make sense. I told myself she was just clutsy, but…"

"It's not your fault," Zenobia said firmly. "And he's never going to hurt anyone ever again."

Lorena forced a laugh. "Well, you have the assured voice for this job, that's for sure. Calm, sure, strong. Lass, you should have been on the stage."

Zenobia smiled. "Would you like to see your niece?"

"Yes."

Zenobia shouted down for Eliza, who quickly came running. She stopped short when she saw her aunt, then siddled around and clung to Zenobia's leg.

Lorena crouched down. "Hi Eliza, I know you don't know me, but I'm your mama's sister."

Eliza stared at her mutely, twisting her fist in the fabric of Zenobia's pants.

"I'm your aunt, sweetie," Lorena said, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry I never came to visit you. I was there when you were born though. Your mama," Lorena's voice cracked and she paused. "Your mama was so excited when you were born. She called you her little pumpkin head."

Eliza smiled at the name, and Lorena caught the smile. "Did she keep calling you little pumpkin head?"

"Sometimes jus' pumpkin," she said.

"So, pumpkin, how would you like to come live with me?" Lorena asked. "I travel a lot, but I think you might like it. There's nice people around all the time, and we see lots of different things."

Eliza looked up at Zenobia and bit her bottom lip.

"She's your family, Eliza," Zenobia said, stroking the top of her silk head and trying to ignore the ache in her chest. "She'll take good care of you. You'll like life with her, and you can come back and visit me whenever you want."

Eliza hesitated, and Zenobia gave her a little nudge. "Go give your aunt a hug."

Eliza releases her hold on Zenobia and crept towards her aunt cautiously. Lorena swept her into a hug, whispering something into her ear. Zenobia left the room, giving them a moment to get to know each other. She came back in a little while later, said good-bye to Eliza, assured her she'd see her again and waved as they walked out the door.

She watched them walk down the street together, smiling as she watched Lorena swoop up the small girl and give her a raspberry on the neck. She sighed and turned away, returning to the map.

* * *

"How many nights have you not made it home?"

The king's voice shook Zenobia out of sleep suddenly, sending her leaping up and knocking her chair backwards.

"Easy there," Jonathan said, reaching out to steady her. "It's just me."

Zenobia rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she asked tiredly.

"Thayet mentioned that she hadn't seen you around much. I was worried. Have you been sleeping here?"

"Not really. Kind of. Just now and then when home seems a long way away," Zenobia said.

Jonathan looked at her walls, covered in papers, lists, charts and maps. "Is this all the slasher?" he asked quietly.

Zenobia shrugged.

"Why are you so obsessed with this?"

Zenobia flushed. "Because he is raping the women of the Lower City," Zenobia snapped. "Because it's my job to protect them, and I'm failing."

"I know it's important, Z," Jon said quietly. "I picked you because I knew you'd care."

He looked around again. "But you have to admit, this does seem like a bit much."

Zenobia slumped slightly. "I don't know what to do," she admitted. "And I can feel him. This sense of evil clings to me everywhere I go. I can't shake it. It's getting worse and worse, so I feel nothing else on the wind. Even in Carthak the wind didn't feel this…infected."

"But you can't track him on the wind like you did with the mage in Carthak?"

Zenobia shook her head. "Numair and I have tried, but it doesn't seem to work."

"Come on," the King said, putting his arm around her shoulders and guiding her outside. "Let's get you up to the castle for a little while at least."

Zenobia nodded mutely, too exhausted to protest.

As they rode back to the castle, the King said, "It seems all of the changes have gone over fairly well."

"What? Oh, yes I suppose they have," Zenobia replied.

"Whether you see it or not, you've been quite successful already, Z," he said quietly. "Don't let one criminal keep you from seeing how much good you are doing. And you'll catch him. Faster than anyone else can."

"Not fast enough."

"You need a break, Zenobia. You can't see past this. It's only a day's ride to where Evin is camped. Go there tomorrow."

"I can't," Zenobia protested. "I have to find him. I need to—"

"That was not a request, Zenobia," Jonathan said, using the calm, firm voice Zenobia had learned meant there was really no use arguing with him. "You need to take a step back, clear your head, and come back with a fresh perspective. And Evin needs you too. This is the most people the Riders have lost in one event in a long time, and that village was decimated. I need both of you doing your best work right now."

Zenobia nodded. Just as they were about to part ways on the castle ground, Zenobia said quietly, "Thank you."

* * *

It was noon when she found the village. Looking out over the cliffs, she could still see the remnants of half the town lay on the beach below. Members of the Own and the Riders littered the roadway, keeping a wary eye on the forest as they moved. They grinned when they saw her, hollering at her and sending her lusty winks. She rolled her eyes and continued down the path as they directed her to the headquarters in the village.

She entered the gate and dismounted Storm.

"Lerant," she called, seeing a familiar member of the King's Own. "Is Evin about?"

"He's in a meeting with the village leaders over there in the temple," Lerant said with a grin. "He'll be happy to see you. It's been a tough few weeks."

"Can you show me somewhere I can rubdown Storm and let him socialize a bit? And if you see Evin, let him know I'm here."

Lerant led her to a fenced pasture, and once Zenobia was sure Storm was settled, she wandered around the village. She realized how little Evin had actually told her in his letters. This village was a mess, and rows of graves lined the streets.

She wandered along, greeting the Riders and members of the Own she saw. She found Domitan of Malsborne sitting by a creek just outside the village walls with a fishing pole.

"Zenobia!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was ordered here," Zenobia replied.

"For good reason," he replied. "It's been a mess over here. I swear the spirdren population must have doubled already since the war, and that's with us killing them as often as possible. We finally were getting somewhere, the two days ago it rained buckets and a few more houses slid down the cliffs. We got all the families out first, but it undid a lot of the work we'd already done. Evin'll be glad to have you."

"How's Kel taking it? It doesn't sound like Raoul handed her an easy first command."

Dom shrugged. "It's always hard to tell with her. She's doing alright though. I think since she had to deal with Haven being overrun, she's just a little more used to losing so many people than Evin. He's done well though. You'd have to know him pretty well to know the strain. I only really know because of what Kel says and because he's quieter than normal."

"He's been worried about you, too," Dom added. "We've gotten some word of what's been going on in the Lower City. I heard besides the slasher, you've had a counterfeiting ring and smugglers coming in and out."

Zenobia shrugged. "The slasher is what concerns me. The rest is inevitable when a new Rogue shifts while that Rogue gets control of all the pies. I can deal with the smugglers and the counterfeiters. I'm good with that and have the right contacts. I've honestly put little time in them, just told my good guards what to do and who to talk to. The slasher though, he's like a monster out of a child's tale."

Dom smiled, but there was no humor in it. "It seems like we have a lot of those monsters running around these days."

Zenobia reached over and squeezed his arm. "I heard you lost one of your squad. I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Dom said quietly.

"Zenobia," Evin's voice sounded from the walls, and Zenobia sprung up immediately and turned.

"Evin," she called back, hurrying towards him. He smiled as she ran to him, picking her up and holding her close in a very muddy hug. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in deeply.

"I missed you."

Evin pulled back slightly to get a good look at her. "I missed you, too, sweet," Evin whispered, reaching up to stroke the back of her head. He pulled back slightly to get a better look at her, "Have you slept at all since I left?"

"A little. Now and then," Zenobia said, trying to shrug the words off with a grin.

Evin frowned at her response. "Where's Eliza?"

Zenobia ducked her head slightly, her chest tightening. "Lorena came. Eliza's going on the road with her. She seemed happy. Lorena was glad to see her."

Evin lifted her chin with a finger. "You did good, sweet. You reunited what's left of that family."

"I know. It's just—"

"You miss her," Evin said. "And for some reason decided no sleep was the solution. Come. Let's get you in bed."

Zenobia smiled, a sudden warmth flooding through her and overcoming her sadness, exhaustion and frustration. All at once, she didn't care about the slasher, or the tightness in her chest when she thought of Eliza or how Anabell haunted her dreams whenever she closed her eyes, all she cared about was feeling Evin's weight on top of her and running her hands along the familiar muscles of his back.

She kissed him gently, her lips lingering over his. "Yes," she breathed huskily. "I think bed is a very good idea."

She awoke to the smell of stew, the rich warm scent making her mouth water before she even remembered where she was. She reached out for Evin, but he wasn't there. She grumbled and sat up, feeling the knot of hair at the back of her head and sighing as she looked around the tent. Her stomach growled, causing her to get up and search out all the articles of her clothing that were strewn across the small tent. Once she was dressed and her wild curls were as under control as she could make them without access to a comb, she walked out and followed her nose.

She saw Evin standing not far from the stew pot and walked to him, slipping an arm around his waist and burying her face briefly between his shoulder blades.

He turned in her arms and smiled down at her. "Good evening, sunshine. Do you know you fell asleep mid-sentence? It was quite impressive. Hungry?"

She smiled. "The important part was over anyways. I'd already gotten my primary use for you completed," she said saucily, taking the bowl of soup he offered gratefully.

He laughed and kissed her temple. "I live to serve, my lady."

She sat down next to him around the campfire, eagerly eating the stew and listening to the men's banter. When she was done, she looped her arm around Evin's and leaned her head against her shoulder. He kissed the top of her head. "You're still exhausted. We can go to bed."

Zenobia shook her head. "Not yet. It's gorgeous out. And the air is so pure."

Evin stood and offered her his hand. "Come on. There's something I want to show you."

Zenobia frowned, but she stood and took his hand. He led her past the village wall and through the forest.

"Where are we going?"

"Patience, sweet. Patience," he teased, squeezing her hand.

"Evin," she finally said, breaking the silence. "The King didn't send me here just for me. What's going on?"

Evin bit his lip briefly, then said, "I wasn't prepared for it. A lot of Riders died in Scanra, but that was war, and I knew it would happen. And I wasn't first in command than either. I've lost a Rider or two in various missions, but I've never…never like this. The spidrens carried off three of the Riders, and we weren't able to find them in time. Not before…" He trailed off, looking slightly haunted.

Zenobia nodded slightly, feeling his anger, hurt and guilt as if it were her own, but not knowing what to say. Finally, she just kissed him gently, putting as much love as she could into it. She hugged him close, feeling his head drop to her neck, in the move she usually made towards him. As she ran a hand along his back, she realized how much he took care of her and was suddenly grateful to be able to return the simple gesture of a hug.

He straightened up and smiled at her. "Thank you," he said quietly.

She ran a hand along his cheek. "Anytime."

"Come, we're almost there," he said. They continued to walk into the forest, then he took a sharp right past a large rock and suddenly the trees parted. A narrow strip of land jutted out in to the sea, the cliffs reaching far below, and the waves crashing against them.

Zenobia ran out to the very edge, feeling the clean salt air whip around her. She breathed in deeply as Evin put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

She could feel the wind for miles in front of her, but it no longer curdled from his presence.

"Open air," she breathed out. "Oh this is wonderful."

Suddenly, everything clicked. "Air!" she exclaimed. "That's it!"

Evin chuckled. "Yes, I do believe there's air around us."

"No, air. Air is the answer. Everywhere he snatches the girls is a place where open air gets through. That's why they are all places I spent a lot of time. He favors the rivers, high grounds, even that alley he dragged Seilen into gets an air pocket. That's why I used to wait there when I was picking pockets. The air would come through."

Evin frowned. "Do you think he has magic like you?"

"Yes. Maybe not exactly like mine, but Numair says since I can't find him he must be Gifted, and the way he's picking spots would allow him to feel the window and know if any danger is coming."

"So how many different open air places are there in Corus?"

Zenobia sighed. "Plenty. But it's a starting point. I can set up surveillance teams, and I can adjust for the wind direction at the time. A lot of spots only work when the window goes a certain direction. ANd maybe if I patrol them too, if I can get close I'll sense him. Some of my Sight is connected to my weather gift, but it isn't all of it. I still sense people nearby me even if the wind isn't blowing. If it's his weather magic that blocks my Sight, maybe it won't block my Sight when I'm nearby"

Evin turned her around. "That sounds like an excellent plan, and I'm guessing means you will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning. So, I suggest we go back to bed."

He pulled her closer, running one hand up the side of her ribcage.

"In a moment," Zenobia murmured, turning in his arms again and leaning against his chest. "I just want to feel the clean air for a little bit longer."

Evin smiled. "As you wish," he whispered, kissing along her neck and reaching under the edge of her breeches to caress her hipbone. "As you wish."

* * *

**Author's Note: **You all have every right to hate me. Sorry it took me so long to finally update this story. I just don't have the time to devote to this right now, which means this story is suffering for it. It also means it's a little choppy. I decided I should stop thinking I'd figure out how to tweak this chapter later or it would be a year before I finally updated. Hopefully it doesn't bug you too much. Also, I will update over Christmas break, but won't be able to before then. Still, one month is better than five, right?


	13. Chapter 13

She woke up late in the evening, and she knew. She'd come home at dawn, tired and dispirited, but when she opened her eyes to see the last rays of the day falling across the floor, she knew. She knew this was the night that all of her work, and all of Emma's work had paid off. They'd found every corner of the city where he'd want to be. Every nook, every crevice, every oddly open space where the wind got through, and they'd found someone to check it, frequently enough that he'd have to be nervous, have to be scared. And for eleven days, there hadn't been a rape. Eleven days. That was twice as long as he'd gone since he'd started. And she woke up that morning, and she could feel his desperation on the wind. She could taste the hate and the powerless and the raw need of him. It disgusted her. She felt violated by the very connection to him. But it was worth it because she knew. She knew she was going to find him. Anabell had told her. And Anabell had told her to be prepared. So, she got out of bed. She dressed. She ate dinner. She slid knives in her boots, up her sleeves, in her hair. She slid her Sai across her back. And she got ready for battle.

She followed her nose, moving from one spot to another, trusting her gut since the wind told her nothing. She kept moving all night, ignoring the throbbing of her feet and the sound of the bells tolling midnight and later.

And then she knew once again. She just knew. Like Anabell had put her hand on her shoulder and whispered it in her ear. She jogged to the outskirts of Corus on the opposite side of river. She'd avoided this alley ever since Grandon had trapped her there, but if the wind hadn't come to her there while she was sleeping, she never would have been able to stop him. It was the perfect place for him really, windy but very dark and secluded. Plus, it was in area populated by people who knew not to get involved in anyone else's business.

She crept down toward the alley when she got a sudden flare of fear, and power from another. She moved silently towards it, hearing struggling, when from the man she sensed awareness and excitement and knew there was no more need for secrecy.

She rounded the corner to see a cloaked figure holding a knife to a woman's throat. Her dress was slightly torn, but she looked otherwise unharmed.

"Hello, Provost," he said. "Took you long enough."

He shoved the girl at her suddenly, sending Zenobia falling backwards with her on top. She struggled to get up, pausing to ask the girl if she was alright before she took off running after him. He was fast and had a head start, and Zenobia was having trouble gaining any ground on him, her legs and feet loudly reminding her of how much surface she had already covered that night.

She kept running, ignoring the searing in her side and the ache in her lungs. She wouldn't let him get away if it took the last breath in her body. She followed him over fences, up along rooftops and down every back alley. He took a right in the Cesspool, and she saw her chance. She continued to run forward then rolled under the fence and kicked down the backdoor of a rambling tavern. He may have known Corus twenty years ago, but she was betting he didn't know that in the past this tavern had been a lively inn and had expanded into the building next door so Mistress Lurean would have room for her bakery. Nor would he know that when Adalia had been murdered, her husband had shut down both buildings, but never had the heart to sell them. More importantly, he wouldn't know that you could use the tavern to get into that building and out the back of the alleyway he was currently running down.

She darted out the back door of the former bakery, and he ran straight into her, sending them both flying backwards. His cloak fell back, so when they both stood, she was looking him right in his blue-green eyes. His dark auburn hair fell in a lick across his handsome face. Zenobia's eyes wandered across his high cheekbones, the healed scar that ran down the side of his face and rosebud lips, the features eerily familiar.

He gave her a big smile as he pulled two large knives out from under his cloak. "Well, well. It is nice to finally meet the daughter I've been hearing so much about."

Zenobia's stomach lurched. "You're not my father," she spat, pulling our her sai.

"Really, darling girl? Can't you see the family resemblance? Mayhap this will help." Zenobia felt the bolt come down from the sky, and her own magic flared from her body on instinct before the whole world went dark.'

* * *

**Author's Note: **I had been thinking about adding in more about the planning and all that, which is why I hadn't published this earlier, but in the end I decided it was better as is. I actually wrote the next chapter after this one a long time ago. I'm going to try and do some minor edits and get it up before I go home for Christmas, but I can't promise. You should review and encourage me to find time! I was sad that I had only two reviews last time. Did you all give up on me?


	14. Chapter 14

Zenobia woke up slowly, every muscle in her body thudding with a dull but persistent ache. Her throat was parched, and her stomach clenched. After a few long moments, she summoned the strength to open her eyes slowly. The room was dark and the only light came from the fireplace. Her right hand was numb, and she slowly twisted her neck to see Evin asleep in a chair next to her. His face was pale and drawn, and he clutched her hand even in his sleep.

She squeezed his hand, hoping the gesture would wake him, since she felt unable to move. He stirred slightly and opened his eyes. He glanced at her and breathed out a big breath when he saw her looking at him, leaning forward to kiss her gently on the lips.

"Goddess, sweet. I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, cupping her face. He reached next to the bed and poured her a cup of water. He lifted her head gently off the pillow and held the cup of water to her lips. As she gulped it gratefully, memories of what happened began to flood into her brain.

"I'm going to get a healer. I'll be right back, sweet. Alright?"

Zenobia nodded slightly and closed her eyes again, letting the darkness consume her.

When she woke again, the sun was streaming into the room, and Alanna was seated next to her on the bed.

"Hello, youngling, you gave us quite a scare. How are you feeling?"

Zenobia felt the bed shift next to her, and she looked over to see Evin on her other side, his face still worried.

"I'm okay," she managed to croak out.

"Want to try and sit up?"

She nodded again, and Evin slid an arm under her back and helped her, though pain still shot through her chest, making her grimace. Alanna handed her a cup of potent smelling tea, and Zenobia managed to drink it down quickly. She felt better almost immediately.

"What happened?" she asked, squeezing Evin's hand reassuringly.

"We don't know," Evin said, stroking her hair. "You were missing for two and a half days. One of the street kids finally found you unconscious in an alley."

"Your magic was completely drained. I've never seen anything like it. After two days you should have started to regain it, but you were out for a weak before I saw any change in your Gift stores. Do you remember anything?" Alanna asked.

Zemobia shook her head mutely.

"A woman said that the slasher had cornered her, and you showed up and chased him," Evin said.

"I don't remember," Zenobia said again, looking down at her lap.

"He didn't," Evin said reassuringly. "Sweet, he didn't do….he didn't hurt you that way. Don't worry."

Zenobia smiled and leaned her forehead against his, kissing him softly. "I'm sorry I worried you. Alanna, would you give us a moment?"

Alanna smiled. "Of course. I'll come back in a few minutes with some food."

The door closed behind her, and Zenobia kissed Evin again, before leaning her head forward on his neck.

"What is it?" Evin asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"He's my father," she whispered.

"Who?"

"The slasher. The slasher is my father. He looks just like me, and he called me daughter and he hit me with lightening."

Evin pulled away from her slightly, trying to look her in the face. "Sweet, you don't know that."

She shook her head, her eyes far away. "I know. We are connected he and I. I can feel it in my bones."

"Even if he is your father that doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything," she whispered hollowly, tears trickling down her face. The sun continued to shine out the window, and for the first time she regretted the iron control she had over her magic these days. She missed the sky keeping her company with its own tears.

* * *

At her request, Evin brought Kylaia in then left, leaving the two women alone together. "Anabell Serenia is my mother, isn't she?"

"Yes."

"You said she killed herself less than a year after he raped her. You meant nine months after."

"Yes."

"She killed herself because she was so disgusted by me."

She moved on to the bed and stroked Zenobia's face. "No, no, little bit. The only reason she lasted nine months was because she wanted something good to come out of all this. She was Sighted, remember? She knew you would lean on the scales of good, not evil. She waited to bring you into this world because she loved you."

"Were you lovers?"

"No, yes, I don't know," Kylaia sighed, and sat on the bed. "I loved her. I have never loved anyone, man or woman, as I loved her. But these things are complicated."

"I look exactly like him. You can't even see her in me can you?"

"Of course I can," Kylaia said, her voice low and forceful. "I suppose you mean looks, and it's true you take after her very little, though those wild curls of yours are all hers. Hers were black as a raven's wing, but like yours those curls had a life of their own. But, my child, you are her daughter. I see it in the way you throw your whole head back and let that silver laugh of yours ring, the way you cock your head when you are listening to your Sight, the way you smile at babes, that swagger to your walk that causes everyone to part when you walk down a crowded street in the lower city. That's all her. Trust me. I promise you. You are your mother's daughter."

"Not by choice. I was forced on her. By him. Just go, Kylaia," Zenobia said, turning on her side away from the woman, ignoring the older woman's pain, preferring to nurse her own.

Kylaia kissed her on the forehead. "Don't let him beat you, too, Zenobia. I couldn't take it if he stole another of my loved one's away from me," she said quietly.

After talking to Kylaia, Zenobia withdrew further into herself, refusing to talk to Evin about what was bothering her. She ignored his worried looks. Alanna nagged her as well, demanding to know why she was so melancholy. A little over a week after she woke up, a large group of the nobles that had become her friends gathered. Even the appearance of Una, who'd left Carthak earlier than she'd planned to when she heard of Zenobia's disappearance, didn't bring her out of herself. Zenobia let Una hug her, then tuned out the chatter of her friends.

"Sweet," Evin took her hand and squeezed it. "Sweet, Una asked you how you're feeling today?"

"Fine. I feel fine."

"You don't look fine," the King said bluntly, holding her gaze until finally she looked away. She'd avoided him, pretending to sleep when he came to see her.

The room stayed silent as the King continued to stare at her. "Leave us," he finally said, sounding far more dismissive than normal.

Her friends filed out of the room. Evin hesitated, but after a glance at the king and Zenobia, he left too, pausing to drop a kiss on her forehead before he walked out and closed the door softly behind him.

Jon crossed his arms, and said quietly, "Tell me."

Unbidden, the words fell from Zenobia's lips. She told him more than she'd told Evin. She spoke of the identity of her father and mother, the revulsion she felt in her own skin, and her sense that even the wind was no longer her friend, since it answered to him as well as her.

The king waited patiently as she told her story. He was quiet for a few moments after she stopped, as though picking through the words he would say before he uttered them. At last, he sat down next to her on the bed and said firmly, "You don't know the first thing about family."

Zenobia looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"You said he was your family. Your father and the only family you knew. That's nonsense. Evin is your family. And Kally and Will and Cassie and Una and me and Alanna and Miri and George. And Tortall and Corus and its people. I remember so distinctly Kally telling me that Tortall was your mother, and the streets of Corus were your father. I found it amusing, until you walked in and I realized how true it was. You were raised by the hard knocks and the unexpected moments of love you received in this country of ours. That man has nothing to do with who you are. You are Zenobia Cooper Larse, and no one else. You have choices in your family, and you made them. You did not choose him. You have fought him since the moment of your birth. Why do you think you protect the people of Corus with every ounce of energy in your body? It is because you chose to fight him. You chose a different family. And don't think for a moment that we will let you go."

Zenobia leaned forward and threw her arms around his neck, tears flowing. "Thank you," she said over and over, letting the sincerity she felt vibrating off him warm her as he held her as though she were a small child.

She pulled away and sniffed, wiping the tears out from under her eyes. "You really think of me like I'm one of your own, don't you?" she whispered.

Jon smiled and stood. "Of course I do. I told you once that you were the only person I ever met that loved Tortall as I do. You aren't like a daughter to me, you are a daughter to me, child of Tortall."

He leaned down to kiss her on top of the head. "Sleep now, little one. You have a lot of work ahead of you."

* * *

"Cooooooop." Zenobia grinned as she heard Jewel's screeching voice echo across the halls of the castle. The door to her room burst open and her street kids poured in. Jewel got there first, bouncing on to the bed and throwing herself at Zenobia.

"I was so scared," Jewel said, whispering in her ear. Zenobia could feel her tears against her neck. "I was so scared. We looked and we looked, and finally I found you back there, and I thought for sure you were dead."

Zenobia stroked the girl's hair softly. "You saved my life, Jewel."

Jewel released her slowly, but stayed settled firmly in her lap as the other street kids all hugged her. As the dozen of them chattered, she glanced over their head's to where Evin stood watching them. "Thank you," she mouthed over their heads, and he smiled at her.

"I had a chat with the King, and we thought you might want to spend some time with your family," he replied. "Besides, they've been worried sick about you. They wanted to see you."

They visited for awhile before Evin shooed them out, worried when he saw exhaustion creeping back onto Zenobia's face. He sat on the bed next to her after they left and stroked her cheek gently. "You should sleep."

Zenobia grimaced. "All I do is sleep these days," she replied, though she couldn't quite hide a yawn.

Evin got up to leave, but she caught his hand. "Stay," she whispered, scooting over on to the bed. "When's the last time you actually slept in a bed?"

Evin smiled and took his boots off, sliding under the sheets with her. "I'll admit, it's been awhile," he said, wrapping around her.

Zenobia was asleep by the time he'd settled into the pillow.

When she woke again, it was dawn. The sun filtered through the window, and Evin's arm was still secure around her waist. She breathed in his familiar scent and thought about the last few days. She thought about what the King said, and the feel of Jewel in her arms, and the look on Evin's face when he realized she'd woken up at last. The King was right.

_I have a family_, she thought. _And I need to protect them. _Careful not to wake Evin, she extracted herself from his grip and got out of bed for the first time since she'd woken up. She stretched gently, feeling the weakness in her muscles and grimacing. She gathered up her Sai and headed out the door to find Kylaia. If anyone could whip her back into shape quickly, it was the Shang Unicorn.

* * *

**Author Note: **Hope this suffices to relieve your cliff-hangey feelings. I probably won't get another chapter up until after Christmas, but you're welcome to review and try and convince me to do it sooner! Reviews keep me going during finals blues!


	15. Chapter 15

"Numair, are you available?" Zenobia asked, standing outside the doorway as the pages of his class filed past her. A few of them eyed her curiously, and the one female page of the bunch gave her a shy smile.

"Of course. Come in. Come in," he replied, leaning against the blackboard and gesturing to the row of page desks in front of him. She closed the door carefully behind her and perched on the desk.

"I need to understand what happened to my magic when I confronted the slasher. I need to know how to keep it from happening again," Zenobia said.

"Do you know what he did?"

Zenobia bit her lip. "He tried to hit me with lightening, and my magic…flared in response."

Numair frowned. "You mean you used your Gift without thinking about what you were doing?"

"No, I mean I wasn't controlling it. It was like my magic fled my body. It was protective, I think, but I wasn't controlling it."

"That's happened to Daine before, but I've never known it to happen to someone with the Gift."

"Why does it happen with wildmagic?"

"The need of the subject. For Daine that's animals. Some magical creature or many animals needing her healing can literally pull the power from her."

"So it is because the connection runs so deep?"

"Yes, I suppose that's one way of thinking of it."

"So what about if there is a connection between the two people using the magic."

"What kind of connection?" Numair asked.

"Familial," Zenobia replied softly.

Zenobia could sense his surprise, but he just said mildly, "It's possible. There are stories of untrained mother's healing their children without conscious attempts."

He tugged his nose, and Zenobia felt a deep rush of gratitude towards his quiet acceptance of what she hadn't said. "If we think about the connections, however, it is a connection based on love that causes the magic to flow. So, I think you have to think about what you are connected too. I don't think it is the slasher. Your magical use was defensive, not aimed at him, correct?"

Zenobia nodded.

He sat for a long moment without saying anything, before he uttered a noise and started up again as if there was no pause in his earlier speech. "Which suggests that he is not the connector. The question is then, what do you love the way Daine loves animals and mothers love their children?"

"Myself?" Zenobia said wryly.

He laughed. "Perhaps, but I suspect the King would say something else, oh child of Tortall."

Zenobia wrinkled her nose. "He's sentimental."

"You know every time something is off in Corus, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Without a second thought. You just know, right?"

"Yes."

"Was it the same in Carthak?"

About to respond glibly, Zenobia paused. "No," she said slowly. "I knew, but I knew from the wind. I had to decipher what it said. I didn't just _know_."

"Your magic is connected to Tortall itself, or at least Corus. I think that reaction was Corus, protecting itself."

"Not you too. Weren't you a merchant boy once upon a time? Evin's just as bad. Is noble sentimentality catching, or something?" Zenobia said in disgust, making Numair laugh. "So this means that I should be able to use my magic normally against him? Father or no?"

He nodded, and she stood and walked out of the room. Pausing in the doorway, she said quietly, "Thank you, Numair. For everything."

She headed down to the training yard to meet with Kyalai after that, preparing herself mentally for the grueling work out that four weeks in she still hadn't grown use to.

She sat on the ground of the training yard when she arrived, and Kyalai came over to stretch her hamstrings.

"So, what horrible things are you going to force me to do today?" she asked as Kyalai pushed her leg to her ear.

"You are ready, little one. You are back to at least the strength you were at when this occurred."

"No, I'm not," Zenobia said automatically, an unexpected rush of fear causing her stomach to clench.

"Yes, you are. You've been holding back. You are unused to losing, little one. And unused to serious injury. You need to prove it to yourself."

"Meaning?" Zenobia asked wearily.

"We should spar."

"Yes!" Zenobia looked over to see see the source of the noise, and saw Alanna looking positively gleeful.

"I've been wanting to see you use those Sai against her since I first met you," Alanna said unapologetically. "You kept promising me a match, but you never followed through."

"Fine," Zenobia said sourly. "You might as well round everyone up first."

By the time Kyalai and Zenobia were ready to start the fight, a small crowd had gathered. All of her noble friends and Evin had gathered, along with servants, members of the Own and several squads of Riders.

She scowled at them. "I hope you all enjoy watching me get my ass handed to me," she said, before picking up her Sai and facing off against Kyalai.

They bowed to each other and instantly Kyalai attacked, her movements as fast as Zenobia remembered. _There goes the hope that she slowed down in her old age_, Zenobia thought to herself even as she blocked her blows and skittered out of the way. The clang of metal on metal was satisfying though, and Zenobia revealed in having to do nothing but react. Trying to read Kylai's movements before they came was an exercise in futility. She kept her eyes glued to the two blades, her muscles moving in response long before her brain had realized that Kyalai had struck. She and Kyalai fluidly exchanged blows and kicks. Kyalai kept her moves within the standard for Sai sparring, slowly increasing the difficulty as the fight continued, and Zenobia settled into the fight. She began moving in more complicated patterns, forcing Zenobia to lose ground as she swept the other woman's blows to the side and dodged her kicks.

She grinned when she managed to land a kick on Kyalai's jaw, but she realized her mistake as Kyalai used her backwards balance and exposed torso to plunged toward her stomach with one Sai. Zenobia bent backwards before dropping and rolling fluidly to her feet, catching Kyalai's next jab between the prongs of her Sai, and pulling the older woman off balance. She attempted to capitalize by using her left Sai to strike at Kyalai's side, only to feel a shock through her knee as Kyalai spun and crouched, causing her to fall to the ground. Kyalai pressed her weapon to Zenobia's throat and smiled. "Well done, little one. You've never lasted that long against me before."

Zenobia took the other woman's hand, shaking her head as she heard the whoops. "One day you'll get old and I'll win."

Kyalai responded with a rich laugh and embraced Zenobia in a rare hug. "I'm so glad you have found your center again. I do not know what I would have done if I had lost you."

Zenobia hugged her back before stepping away and taking the towel Evin handed her. As Zenobia wiped the sweat off her face, she noticed Adsren leaning against the post looking grim. She walked over to him and smiled.

"Aren't you supposed to be at home with your new baby?" Zenobia asked. "How's Eva doing?"

"She's doing better, Provost. It's been slow, but she got out of bed last week. It was touch and go for a long while though."

Zenobia put a hand on his arm, knowing without his saying how scared he'd been. Though Eva had sat next to him while he was injured many a time, Adsren'd never felt the cold dread and powerlessness himself.

"Thank you again for giving me time off until she got back on her feet," he added. "But that's not why I'm here."

"What's going on?"

"My partner swung by to chat with me. You're facing some ugliness when you get back. Tasmere has used your absence to stir up some anger about the changes. A lot of guards are feeling the pinch between you and the new Rogue, they lost a lot of their less than legal income, and they aren't happy."

"And your absence meant I lost my only ally who was willing to face down Tasmere."

"He hates you, Provost. This is personal for him. It's not just about the changes, for all what he says. What did you do to make him so mad?"

Zenobia shrugged, then changed her mind. He'd supported her this long. He deserved to know. "I killed his partner."

Adsren raised an eyebrow. "That would do it. May I ask why?"

"I was eight. He cornered me an alley and shoved his hands up my skirt. I stabbed him in the neck with a knife he didn't notice I had."

Adsren nodded slowly, breathing out. "Look, I'm guessing you don't trust Tasmere at all. And I understand that. But I will say this. He's not crooked like some of them. He's rough sure. He smacks folk around more than I think he ought to, and he's not one to coddle anybody. But he also isn't crooked. He doesn't look the other way when crime happens. You ask me. He didn't know what his partner was up to."

Zenobia nodded slowly. "How bad is it really? The ugliness?"

"There's some talking of threatening to walk off the job when you come back. I don't think there's actually that many that want to, but they're the loud ones, and the rest will fall in line to be supportive."

"Thank you for telling me," Zenobia said. "Now go home to your wife and baby. I'll figure this out."

She leaned against one of the posts in the training yard, allowing her various friends and acquaintances to come up and slap her on the back and make wry jokes about her abilities, but she wasn't really listening. She turned over what Arden said in her mind, trying to figure out what to do about Tasmere and how to regain the loyalty of the guards.

"I'm going to the baths," she announced abruptly, waving good-bye to her friends. She soaked for along time, but was no closer to an answer by the time she noticed the pruning of her fingers and toes. She sighed and got out, dressing quickly and walking back to her rooms.

Evin was waiting for her when she arrived, a steaming plate of food in front of him. "You missed dinner. What did Adsren have to say?"

She smiled and sat down across from him at the table, pulling the plate towards her and taking a bite before she told him about Tasmere's campaign to bring her down.

Evin whistled. "You could always just fire Tasmere."

She nodded. "I could. It would keep things quiet for now, but…"

"Long-term it would cause resentment to grow among those who don't support you."

"Exactly."

"Why does he hate you so much if he's not crooked? It's not like you've caused him to lose money in that case. Is it because you are a women?"

Zenobia bit her lip. She had managed to forget that she hadn't told Evin the backstory, and that she'd never had any intention to. She had to tell him now though. She'd told Arden after all. But she dreaded telling Evin, knowing how he'd hurt when he heard the story.

She reached across the table and took his hand, turning it over gently and tracing his lifeline with the tip of her finger.

"Remember that story you told me right before I left for Carthak? About how you saw me when I was a little girl, and I had that look like I'd seen too much too young?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Yes," Evin replied, equally softly, reaching his free hand out to cup her face.

"A week before that I killed Tasmere's partner. He was the first man I ever killed. He…..he liked little girls. He'd hurt Monkey really bad a month or so before, and he'd been after me ever since he'd moved on from her. He liked to make you scared. Liked to chase you through back alleys and laugh when you got away, telling you he'd get you next time. He'd just tease at first, trap you in a corner and touch you just a little before letting you escape. But that day he finally trapped me good and proper, and he was done teasing. I'd twisted my ankle bad a few days before, and couldn't run, and he got me stuck between him and a stack of crates by the dock. He was reaching up my skirt, and I pulled a shiv I had hidden out and stabbed him right in the neck. He bled so much. He fell on top of me, and I couldn't, I couldn't get him off," her voice broke for a moment, and Evin walked around the table to sit on the floor next to her, tugging her gently into his lap as he leaned against the wall.

Finally, she let out a deep breath and kept going. "He bled all over me, and it took me quite awhile before I even got over the shock. And he was a big gu and he landed on top of me, and I was stuck under him, and it took quite a bit of time before I was able to squirm out from under him. I got away and ran down to the river. Tasmere saw me washing myself frantically. He asked me what I was doing, and I said I'd fallen in a mud puddle. But the next day he found out his partner had been stabbed to death not far from where he saw me. He put two and two together, but it wasn't enough to have me tried for the crime. He made it his mission to send me to the mines or see me hanged from something ever since then, but he was never able to catch me in the act."

Evin stroked her hair softly, and she looked up at him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He smiled at that, leaning down to kiss her. "I think that's my line, sweet."

"It was a long time ago, Evin," she said.

Evin wiped her tears away from her cheek. She reached up and touched them in surprise. "I didn't realize I was crying."

He leaned for and kissed each of her cheekbones. "Thank you for telling me."

She could feel his rage pulsing beneath the surface of his concern, but it didn't show on his face. That was just like him, submerging everything else to give her what he needed. "Thank you for listening."

She took a deep breath, then rolled her shoulders back. "So now, I just have to decide what to do about Tasmere. The diplomatic thing to do would be to transfer him to another station where he'd have less influence and less of a chance to rile up problems. Perhaps force him to take a leave."

"But you don't want to be diplomatic."

"I'm tired of being diplomatic."

Evin grinned. "When exactly were you diplomatic?"

"Oh, you know." Zenobia waved her hand about vaguely. "That's not the point. The point is I want to settle this my way."

"There are worse things you could do, honestly. Might give him a chance to unleash some of his anger. Might give you a chance to unleash some of yours."

Zenobia stroked a hand along Evin's jaw. "That's why I like you. You never tell me to be proper."

Evin laughed. "If I wanted someone proper, I wouldn't have married you. Besides, the more poorly you behave, the more I can get away with by saying I'm not as bad as you."

Zenobia leaned forward and kissed him firmly. "I love you."

Evin wrapped one of her wayward curls around his fingers. "I love you, too."

She kissed him again, losing herself in him. She pushed the fearful squirming in her stomach that accompanied her realization that she would have to return to work soon and tried to concentrate on nothing but Evin's skin under her fingers and his warm kisses against her neck.

* * *

Two days later, Storm shifted restlessly under her as she prepared to ride out. "Hush boy," she said quietly.

"Are you sure you don't want some back-up?" Jon asked, looking up at her worriedly.

Zenobia smiled and nodded. "No offense, but I go in there with a bunch off nobles at my back and they'll take it as a sign of weakness. A commoner hiding behind her lord's coattails. It's time to settle this Lower City style."

"How about commoner support then?" Evin suggested hopefully.

Zenobia smiled, leaned down and kissed him. "Don't worry, love. I'll have plenty of that. Stop worrying."

She spurred Storm then and rode off towards the station. She paused along the way to whisper in Jewel's ear before continuing on to the Jane Street Station. She'd picked her time carefully. It was about to be the change of guards between day and twilight guard. All of her best guards would be around the station now. The troublemakers too. And the rest would come running when they heard. It was a market day, so the Lower City would still be bustling even as the sun sank. She rode regally through the streets, keeping her held high and haughty. She was the Provost now, and no one best forget that.

When she arrived, she dismounted Storm and tossed her reigns to the resident stable boy. She walked to the door and slammed it open, allowing the noise to echo through the station. "All guards on the practice courts, now," she roared. She waited then in the middle of the courts, letting them all circle around her. She clocked their emotions, feeling out her supporters and her enemies and the one's who'd follow any show of strength.

"Tasmere, come forward," she said, not yelling, but letting her voice ring across the square and into the streets. "I hear you been stirring up trouble whilst I've been recovering. Is that so?"

He spit. "Didn't stir up notin' that wasn't already there."

"It's time we settled this. Once and for all. You and me," Zenobia said. "Settled it like dogs."

She unbuckled her belt then, chucking her sword to the side. She pulled her sai off her back and started pulling her knives off her one at a time.

"Hand to hand? That's how you want to do this."

"We can use knives if you prefer to fight like a Rat," Zenobia replied, twirling the knife she held in her palm.

Tasmere grinned and shook his head, shucking his boots and pulling his shirt over his head. "Fists are fine by me," he sneered.

She pulled her boots, stockings and tunic off until she stood before him in nothing but breeches and a breastband. Jewel has spread word quickly. The street kids had gathered at the feet of a few of the guards. Along the rooftop, Zenobia saw several of her old thief friends, and a crowd had gathered in the street that ran next to the training yard.

She let him get a shot off first, wanting to make him cocky. She let his fist slam into her jaw, and her head snap back, feeling the satisfying thrum of a flight soar through her veins and burn everything else out. She took a step forward feigning a punch to his face, and slamming a left hook into his solar plexus and feeling his side collapse like an accordion. She spun then, a roundhouse kick to the side of the head that he just dodged. He was breathing heavily clutching his side as he circled her wearily.

She allowed the single-minded focus to fill her. The jeers and cheers of the surrounding crowd disappeared into a single focus on the muscles of his body, watching for the flicker that would give away his next move. There. She dodged his next punch and answered with a punch across his right eye. He wavered, unsure of which fist to follow, and she took advantage, rushing in with a sharp jab to his ribs and another short punch that caused his nose to crunch satisfyingly under her fist. She paid for her close contact with a punch to her temple that made her head reel, but she kicked out and behind him, dropping him to his knees.

"You killed Grandon. You killed my partner," he shouted suddenly, and Zenobia drew back.

She considered him for a moment. "Yes."

He stumbled to his feet, blood coursing down his face. "You killed a guard and you presume to try and lead us."

"Yes. And I'd do it again. In a heartbeat."

He hissed and spat, then turned his back to her. "You see, all of you. You see what our Provost does."

"Why?" Adsren called, and she smiled grimly.

"He like to do bad things to little girls," she said succinctly.

"That's a lie," he wheeled around to look at her as he hissed.

"It isn't," she replied firmly. "And you aren't angry at me. You're angry at yourself, for not seeing what he was doing. For not stopping it."

"You lie," he shouted again.

"She doesn't." There was Monkey a wobble in her voice. Zenobia's chest squeezed for a moment as she remembered Monkey, sobbing as she stumbled into the fortress they had tried to make for themselves. The guard's Monkey had been paired with both growled slightly, and one put his hand on Monkey's shoulder. Zenobia smiled grimly, she'd paired Monkey with them, hoping the girl would win two of her resisters over.

"Open your eyes," Zenobia said softly. "Everyone knows I've killed, but everyone I've killed has deserved the death they've gotten."

"You are lawless. You admit it. And yet you proclaim to lead us."

"I _was_ lawless. I follow the King of Tortall and his law now. I've left the Rogue law behind. Let me make this abundantly clear." She raised her voice then, making sure everyone could hear her. "I am Provost. I follow the King Jonathan's Law. I enforce his law. And those of you who disobey me, or disobey the King's law no longer have a place as a guard."

She eyeballed everyone one in the crowd, then shouted. "Now get back to work."

The crowd dissipated quickly, leaving only Tasmere behind.

"You have to decide," she said quietly. "You have to decide whether you can follow me or not."

She held up a hand to his sneer. "Take a two days. Think about it. Think about what you have learned today. Your partner was not the man you thought he was. And I am no longer the girl I once was. So think it over, and come to me with your decision in two days."

She turned her back and walked away then, carefully listening for a sign that he would attack her from behind but keeping her body language loose and fearless. She picked up her clothes and headed back to her office, heaving a sigh of relief when the solid door closed behind her, and she could stop holding the carefully neutral expression on her face.

One problem down. One to go. She turned to look at the map of Tortall and all of the pins in it and frowned. An idea flickered, and she swept the chaos off of her desk and pulled out a clean map of Corus. She sat down with it in front of her, examining the map block by block and occasionally pausing to circle a spot.

* * *

**Author's Note: **That's right, it's an update! I'm hoping for a shorter gap, but there's a good chance the next chapter won't be up until after finals in mid-may. Writing what I want when I want has been going well for me, however, so you may see other things pop up now and then, and maybe I'll update earlier than planned. And if I ever, ever write another long fic, I hereby swear to have a detailed sketch with much of it written before I start posting. Thanks for sticking with me, and please review!


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